Security Executive Blog

The Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO) processes security clearances for organizations falling under the National Industrial Security Program ( NISP ). According to Executive Order 12968—Access to Classified Information, employees should not be granted access to classified information unless they possess a security clearance, have a need to know the classified information involved, received an initial security briefing and have signed a nondisclosure agreement. The Facility SecurityOfficer (FSO) is a position that the defense contractor must appoint during the Facility Clearance (FCL) approval process. The FSO implements a security program to protect classified in information. They also request investigations for employees who require a security clearance. What this means is, all cleared contractors must appoint an FSO. It could be the business owner in a small organization or an employee with an additional duty. The primary qualifications of an FSO are to be a US ...

Some would argue that self inspections are conducted ONLY at the midpoint between Defense Security Service (DSS) reviews. After all, that's the only requirement according to the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual ( NISPOM ). For possessing cleared facilities, the midpoint is 6 months from the next annual review. For non possessing, then 9 months from the 18 month review. However, if you wait until the midpoint, then you might be missing a great opportunity to proactively assess the state of security within your cleared contractor facility. Facility security officers (FSO) can take the initiative to incorporate the security program into the organizations makeup. The following are Five valid reasons to conduct a self inspection: When a new FSO takes over-When I was in the army, we always held an inventory when someone on the hand receipt took over.   For example, when I took command, we walked through all the property to account for it being both on hand an...