Yesterday the government released its latest quarterly update on Trusted Workforce 2.0 through its Personnel Vetting quarterly progress update from the Performance Accountability Council. The report provided updates and adjusted milestones around key aspects of the Trusted Workforce 2.0 reform effort.
One key effort for 2023 is the rollout of eApp. The report notes 2900 industry organizations have already been onboarded to NBIS. It also says that more than 60,000 applications have now already been submitted through eApp. Close to half (50 of 110) agency-level organizations are initiating their security clearance background investigations through NBIS, the report notes. The transition to NBIS is a key muscle movement in the security clearance reform effort, and will get the government off of its dependence on the legacy technology it inherited from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
As the government continues it’s complete overhaul of the security clearance application process with its new Personnel Vetting Questionnaire, the 2023 transition to eApp is the first step in total security clearance application transformation. The move to eApp creates a more secure, intuitive, and 21st century security clearance application process. The switch to the PVQ (likely in late 2024), brings together better technology and better questions.
Aggressive Clearance Processing Timelines
The government is also looking into aggressive security clearance processing timelines. The government is shooting the moon with newly announced clearance processing benchmarks, emphasizing that the process won’t get better under the status quo – with many reforms already successful, it’s time to get aspirational.
“As capabilities are put in place and the TW 2.0 model is refined, the aspirational targets will be refined,” the report notes. “The new targets, notionally to begin in FY2028, represent a significant improvement in the speed of delivering talent to the mission.
The iterative approach to reform also applies to metrics – the PAC PMO notes that benchmarks and reporting benchmarks can be refined over time to best represent the requirements of the workforce and the realities of the process.
Keeping Tabs on Security Clearance Holders
In the wake of the alleged massive leak perpetuated by a 21-year-old with a Top Secret security clearance, legislators and armchair pundits have been quick to criticize the number of individuals with clearance eligibility. But the PAC PMO quarterly update notes the close tabs the government does keep on who has eligibility and who doesn’t, even designating the in-access vs. eligible populations. And once again, the third quarter FY 2023 update shows a 12% below baseline (comparing to FY 2013) in the eligible in-access population, for a total of 2.2 million individuals eligible/in access (that includes Secret and Top Secret clearance holders).
