Over a year ago I wrote a post at the Security Clearance Jobs Forum about the Pentagon’s plan to replace DoD’s Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) and Joint Verification System (JVS) with the Defense Information System for Security (DISS) as a part of security clearance process reforms. The new system was designed to interface with various information hubs that support insider threat mitigation, continuous evaluation, and clearance eligibility transactions. This project is now coming to fruition, as the Pentagon announced the transition to DISS will occur on July 16. An open comment period through the Federal Register was made available for Federal agencies and DoD contractors to provide feedback June 15 through July 15.
Once it is fully online, DISS will replace JPAS as the go-to source for security clearance eligibility information. Unlike JPAS, DISS facilitates continuous evaluation and better cross communication among government agencies.
DISS appears to be more robust, flexible and user friendly for the DoD for case tracking and adjudication recording and verification purposes. It’s also easier for Intelligence Community agencies, Department of Homeland Security components, and law enforcement to tap into the system to find out information regarding counterintelligence or insider threat concerns, alien admission data or citizenship information, and civil, criminal, or other relevant enforcement records. According to an article posted on NextGov, the system is expected to ping the hub for threat monitoring, a practice that exploits, among other profiling techniques, cybervetting to enable an agency or contractor to keep an eye on a cleared employees’ activities.
Your Security Clearance Eligibility
What does this mean for the applicant or clearance holder? According to DLA, the DISS will be the authoritative source for the management, storage, and timely dissemination of personnel security information. accelerate the clearance process, reduce security clearance vulnerabilities, decrease back-end processing timelines, and support information sharing.
In addition to these positives, more information will be available for evaluation to determine eligibility for a clearance. If you seek employment or want to remain in a job that requires a clearance, ensure you do not jeopardize your eligibility with questionable or untrustworthy behavior in your daily activities, on and off line.
