**GAO-08-350**                      Published: Feb 13, 2008. Publicly Released: Feb 13, 2008.                  

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## Highlights

The Department of Defense (DOD) industry personnel security clearance program has long-standing delays and backlogs in completing clearance requests and difficulties in accurately projecting its future needs for investigations to be conducted by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). In 2006, Congress mandated that DOD report annually on the future requirements of the program and DOD's efforts to improve it, and that GAO evaluate DOD's first report. Specifically, GAO was required to report on (1) the extent to which the report responds to the issues in the mandate, (2) the number and cost of clearance investigations and adjudications in fiscal years 2000-2006, and (3) the extent to which DOD has developed procedures to estimate future needs, plans to reduce delays and backlogs, and plans to provide funding for the program. To accomplish these objectives, GAO obtained and reviewed laws, executive orders, policies, reports, and other documents related to the security clearance process and interviewed officials from a range of government offices concerned with the clearance process.

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## Recommendations for Executive Action

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Full Report (41 pages)

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## Topics

National Defense

Background investigationsCost analysisData integrityDefense cost controlInvestigations by federal agenciesPersonnel managementPersonnel security clearance programsPersonnel security policiesProgram evaluationProgram managementRecords managementReporting requirementsSchedule slippagesSecurity clearance backlogsSecurity clearancesSecurity investigationsCost estimatesGovernment delaysPolicies and procedures