President Donald Trump yesterday signed an executive order that moves federal background and security clearance investigations to the Pentagon.
Renamed the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency, the entity will serve as the main security clearance provider for the entire government come June 24. The Office of Personnel Management has been tasked with background investigations through the National Background Investigations Bureau.
The 2018 National Defense Authorization Act set in motion the move of those operations to the Defense Department.
Moving those responsibilities to the Pentagon will help “avoiding unnecessary risk, promoting the ongoing alignment of efforts with respect to vetting Federal employees and contractors, and facilitating needed reforms in this critical area,” the executive order stated.
The move to DOD has a June 24 deadline.