Continuous Vetting (CV) has been the major muscle movement in the Trusted Workforce 2.0 effort to-date. Rather than waiting for episodic checks or relying on self-reporting alone, CV allows the government to take a proactive security posture. Whether you’ve had a security clearance for 20 years or are in the application process for your first eligibility, here is the CV 411.
1. What is CV?
It’s the regular review of a person’s background to ensure they should still have access to classified information. Current CV solutions don’t typically include social media monitoring, but they could in the future. For now, expect databases to be pulling information based on:
- Terrorism
- Foreign Travel
- Financial Activity
- Criminal Activity
- Credit
- Public Records
- Eligibility
2. Does a CV alert mean?
A CV alert doesn’t necessarily trigger an investigation. The investigating agency, typically the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), will validate any alerts before they investigate them. This ensures investigative time and energies are used appropriately.
3. CV is proactive, not punitive.
CV alerts help the government identify risk factors sooner. When working properly, CV will help more applicants keep their eligibility vs. removing them from eligibility. That’s because issues can be identified at a stage when the issues can still be mitigated. And mitigating issues is the best path to keeping your eligibility. That includes proactive steps like counseling or treatment or financial assistance plans.
4. NBIS Empowers Better CV.
The National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) is critical to the next steps of CV progress. Rolling out more comprehensive CV solutions, allowing for better information sharing of alerts, and creating more seamless processes for self-reporting are all enabled through NBIS. As NBIS continues to roll-out, expect CV solutions to grow more robust, and the government’s security posture to grow more comprehensive.
