Please	Note...

This webinar and the engagement tools will	be recorded.

An	archive will be available on	the event website.	

Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Webinar
	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	 	

FEDERAL	CYBERSECURITY	

WORKFORCE WEBINAR

Security Clearance Effective Practices and Solutions

to Support Federal Cybersecurity Work
	 	

	 	 	

FEDERAL	CYBERSECURITY	

WORKFORCE WEBINAR

Welcome and Overview

Elizabeth Lee

Federal Bureau of Investigation
	 	 	

	 	 	

	 	 	 	

FEDERAL	CYBERSECURITY	

WORKFORCE WEBINAR

Ensuring a Trusted Workforce

Bill Pedersen

Personnel Security Specialist – Stakeholder	Liaison

U.S. Office of Personnel Management
 

 

 

 

Federal Personnel Vetting – 

Ensuring a Trusted Workforce 

Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Webinar, October 25, 2022 

Credentialing 

National 

Security 

Suitability 

/ Fitness 

Working in partnership to promote a trusted workforce 
 

 

 

 

Federal Personnel Vetting – 

The What and Why? 

Protecting People, Property, Establishing Trust Information, and Mission 

10/25/22 6
 

Federal Personnel Vetting – 

Process Overview 

Position Designation 

Screening 

Validate Need / Reciprocity 

Preliminary Determinations 

10/25/22 7
 

Federal Personnel Vetting – 

Process Overview Continued 

Background Investigation 

Adjudication 

Entry-on-duty 

Continuous Vetting, if applicable 

10/25/22 8
 

 

 

 

Federal Personnel Vetting – 

Tips for Agencies and Applicants 

• Agencies 

o Screening 

• Applicants 

o Federal Personnel Vetting Engagement Guidelines 

o Accurate form completion 

10/25/22 9
 

 

 

Federal Personnel Vetting – 

Myth-busting 

• Myth: Certain things, like a criminal conviction, 

are automatically disqualifying. 

VS

• Myth: Seeking mental health treatment negatively 

impacts your chances of a favorable adjudication 

10/25/22 10
 

 

 

Federal Personnel Vetting – 

Myth-busting Continued 

• Myth: It’s hard to move around because taking a new 

position means starting vetting all over again. 

VS

• Myth: The vetting process takes so long I’ll have to wait 

over a year to start my job. 

10/25/22 11
 

 

Contact Information 

Suitability Related Questions 

SuitEA@opm.gov 

202-599-0090 

Credentialing Related Questions 

CredEA@opm.gov 

10/25/22 12
FEDERAL	CYBERSECURITY	

WORKFORCE WEBINAR

Q&A
	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

FEDERAL	CYBERSECURITY	

WORKFORCE WEBINAR

Process and	Reform

Kyla Power

Executive Project Coordinator,	

National Counterintelligence	and Security	Center

Office of the Director of National Intelligence
ODNI

OF F I C E OF T H E D I R E C TOR OF N AT ION A L I N T E L L IGE N C E 

Security Clearance Process and Reform

Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Webinar 

Kyla Power

Executive Project Coordinator 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center 

25 October 2022 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center
ODNI

Security Executive Agent

• The Director of National Intelligence

(DNI) serves as the Security 

Executive Agent (SecEA) 

• The SecEA: 

• Directs the oversight of investigations

and eligibility determinations for access 

to classified information 

• Develops policies for investigations,

adjudications, and polygraphs 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center 16
ODNI

Trusted Workforce 2.0

• Initiative to transform how the Federal Government vets individuals 

• New approach to reduce delays, increase workforce mobility, and better 

leverage technology 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center 17
ODNI

Continuous Vetting

• Leverages automated records checks, agency-specific records, and 

investigative work 

• Leads to early detection and proactive mitigation 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center 18
ODNI

Trusted Workforce 2.0 Implementation

2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025

Phase 2: Vetting Transformation 

Phase 2c: Full Transformation 

Phase 2a: Establishing a 

New Vetting Framework 

Phase 1: Preparing for Change 

Phase 2b: TW 1.25 & TW 1.5 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center 19
ODNI

How Best to Engage?

Agencies Individuals 

• Maintain communication • Complete forms fully and accurately 

• Provide training and resources • Know your reporting requirements 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center 20
ODNI

Frequently Asked Questions

Sponsorship Reciprocity Social 

Media 

Marijuana Fairness 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center 21
ODNI

CONTACT INFORMATION

SecEA@dni.gov 

https://www.dni.gov/ncsc 

National Counterintelligence and Security Center 22
FEDERAL	CYBERSECURITY	

WORKFORCE WEBINAR

Q&A
	 	

	 	 	 	

FEDERAL	CYBERSECURITY	

WORKFORCE WEBINAR

Challenges and Solutions

David	Harvey

Engagement Manager, Center for Securing the Homeland

MITRE
 

 

 -

Challenges and Solutions with 

Clearances – A Contractor’s 

perspective 

David Harvey, MITRE 

October 25, 2022 

Approved for Public Release; Distribution Unlimited. Public Release Case Number 22 3504 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Background 

• MITRE operates 6 Federally Funded Research and Development 

Centers (FFRDCs) for the government 

• NIST, DoD, IRS/VA/Commerce, HHS, DHS, FAA 

• ~10,000 employees 

• ~65% need clearances 

• ~70% need fitness 

• And many need multiple 

keep staff actively 

• MITRE needs to manage a lot of people and their clearances/fitness to 

working projects 

© 2022 THE MITRE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 26 
 

 

 

 

What we see and how we deal with it 

• Challenge: Manage the clearances for thousands of submittals each year 

• Solution: Automate the intake, processing, holding, and removal of 

clearances/fitness 

© 2022 THE MITRE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 27 
 

 

 

 

 

What we see and how we deal with it 

• Challenge: Months delays to get staff clearance/fitness 

• Solution: Where possible, place staff on assignments that don’t require 

clearance/fitness. Otherwise, plan financially for months of inactivity 

© 2022 THE MITRE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 28 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

What we see and how we deal with it 

• Challenge: While DoD has reciprocity, civilian agencies are reluctant to “trust” 

other agencies’ fitness processes 

• Solution: We note the other clearances/fitness our staff have and request 

waivers to start work while in formal process – this buys down the risk 

“...anyone who holds an active security clearance has already gone through a 

background investigation that considers the same factors evaluated in a DHS 

fitness assessment...Yet even if one has a top-level security clearance...a 

contractor must still undergo a less-thorough and duplicative fitness investigation 

and assessment before he or she can begin work.” 

- Charles E. Allen, Senior Intelligence Advisor INSA, testifying U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security 

Subcommittee on Oversight and Management Efficiency, February 27, 2018 

© 2022 THE MITRE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 29 
 

 

 

 

 

What we see and how we deal with it 

• Challenge: Ensuring all staff have the appropriate clearance/fitness 

• Solution: Monthly we reconcile our invoice with our clearance/fitness records and 

note status of all staff in monthly status report 

© 2022 THE MITRE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 30 
 

 

 

 

What we see and how we deal with it 

• Challenge: Not notified when staff lose their fitness 

• Solution: Annually, we request listing of all staff with fitness to reconcile with our 

records 

© 2022 THE MITRE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 31 
 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Summary of Requests 

• Civilian agencies adopt Reciprocity across Agencies so that fitness costs less, 

and the Government can be more adept at pivoting to new threats 

• Agencies consider formalizing “Interim” Fitness criteria when other clearances 

already held 

• Agency security offices consistently notify contractors when fitness ends for staff 

• And for my bold request: Civilian agencies create a “Super Fitness” level that 

aggregates all criteria from all agencies and thus is recognized by all agencies 

© 2022 THE MITRE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 32 
 

Questions?

© 2022 THE MITRE CORPORATION. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. 33 
FEDERAL	CYBERSECURITY	

WORKFORCE WEBINAR

Q&A
	 	

	 	 	 	 	 	 	

	 	

	 	

2022-23	Winter	Federal

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Tuesday, January 24, 2023

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Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Webinar
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