Government announces changes to modernize background checks

February 1, 2016

the Federal Government announced a series of changes to modernize and strengthen the way they conduct background investigations for Federal employees and contractors and protect sensitive data. Washington DCThese changes include the establishment of the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB), which will absorb the U.S. Office of Personnel Management’s (OPM) existing Federal Investigative Services (FIS), and be housed within the OPM. Its mission will be to provide effective, efficient, and secure background investigations for the Federal Government.  Unlike the previous structure, the Department of Defense will assume the responsibility for the design, development, security, and operation of the background investigations IT systems for the NBIB. A Fact Sheet about changes to Federal background checks also posted on the White House website outlines the steps the Federal Government is taking to improve the security clearance and background investigation processes for Federal employees and contractors. These actions include:

  • Establishing a new federal entity – the NBIB – to strengthen how the government performs background checks.
  • Leveraging expertise at DoD for processing background checks and protecting against security threats.
  • Updating responsibilities established by Executive Order 13467 to clarify existing roles and assign new responsibilities where gaps may exist.
  • Build on the security measures implemented in response to the cybersecurity incidents at the OPM in 2015.
  • Establish a NBIB transition team transition the management of FIS IT systems to DoD and migrate the existing functions, personnel, and support structure of OPM FIS to NBIB.
  • Drive continuous performance improvement to address evolving threats to ensure NBIB is successful in its critical mission to provide secure background checks.
These steps build on efforts the Obama Administration has taken in recent months to increase the Federal government’s cybersecurity capabilities and protect systems and data government-wide.]]>

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