The Government's Program for Protecting National Security Information

GAO discussed the government's program for protecting national security information. GAO stated that, as of March 1985, about 4.3 million government and contractor employees had security clearances allowing access to some form of classified information. This figure excludes employees of the National Security Agency and the Central Intelligence Agency. Under current Executive Orders governing classified information and personnel security, the Office of Personnel Management is responsible for conducting background investigations for civilian personnel, but some agencies, such as the Department of Defense (DOD), conduct more extensive investigations before granting clearances. In addition, GAO stated that: (1) there is a continuing need for monitoring and reinvestigations of cleared personnel to ensure that their access to sensitive information is in the interest of national security; (2) DOD is taking steps to reduce the number of unnecessary security clearances and clearance requests; and (3) classification guidance furnished to contractors by DOD remains outdated, vague, and inconsistent.