1. For Immediate Release
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Contact: Karen Nussle, 202-449-8656, knussle@insaonline.org
INSA: Government can save millions by reforming Security Policy
New INSA white paper makes recommendations to improve efficiencies and save taxpayer money
ARLINGTON, VA – Given the current economic environment and demands to minimize government
spending, improvements in government efficiency, particularly in the area of national security, are
critical. To address these needs, the Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) Security
Clearance Reform Task Force today released a white paper entitled “Next Steps for Security Reform:
Industry Proposals to Enhance Efficiency and Reduce Costs in National Security Contracts.” It
addresses the costly delays related to security clearances and recommends actions which could save
hundreds of millions in taxpayer dollars.
When asked about the driving philosophy behind the development of the Task Force and paper, Charlie
Allen, the Chair of the INSA Security Clearance Task Force and former Undersecretary of Homeland
Security for Intelligence Analysis, commented, “The members all share the same belief that these
inefficiencies can be greatly reduced. By taking action now we can conserve our resources and ensure
our capacity for critical national security activities in the future.”
According to conservative estimates, 10 to 20 percent of contractors, paid for by the government, may
not be on the job because of delays caused by security clearance issues. This results in lost man-hours
and a waste of scarce taxpayer dollars; modest improvements could save hundreds of millions of dollars
each year. The Task Force reached a consensus on six critical overarching ways to promote efficiency
and improve security practices at reduced costs, while allowing government and industry to work
together. They are:
 Track contractor security costs, including high level clearances and secure facility usage, and for
the timeliness of policy implementation and reinvestigations
 Provide contracting officials with improved security guidelines
 Implement flexible approaches for cleared contractors to access sensitive information in the
short-term
 Support industry security structures that permit the anticipation of government needs, and
development of solutions and innovations
 Promote a level playing field across industry for large and small companies
 Apply security policies clearly and consistently across agencies and companies
The Task Force’s specific recommendations stem from the six points outlined above with the goal of
helping government to maximize national security programs and minimize costs to U.S. taxpayers. The
recommendations include:
 Align contracting and security clearance processes to reduce costs for industry and government
 Ensure clearance portability
 Follow suitability and investigative standards
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INSA  901 N. Stuart St., Suite 205, Arlington, VA 22203  Phone (703)224-4672  www.insaonline.org

2.  Spin off a low-side version of Scattered Castles, the Intelligence Community’s (IC) database for
all security and access information
 Invest in personnel security automation that is reliable and cost efficient
 Encourage conversations across programs and contracts, and temporary storage in secure
facilities.
Ellen McCarthy, President of INSA, commented, “We have worked over the past several years to ensure
that government continues to have a trusted contractor workforce that can accomplish more but cost
less. We hope to create a space that allows conversations across programs and contracts while aligning
security and contracting processes to ensure an effective and efficient national security clearance
process.”
This white paper seeks to energize the dialogue on security policy and the reforms needed to achieve a
streamlined, cost effective process that enables more efficient collaboration between the government
and industry contractors. Over the coming months, the INSA Security Clearance Reform Task Force
members will work to forge a public-private partnership with the DNI, government agency leaders and
interested Congressional staff to discuss security reform issues. This group will discuss ideas and
solutions for reforming the security clearance process and work to develop concepts for collecting data
on contractor security related costs.
The INSA security policy reform white paper, “Next Steps for Security Reform: Industry Proposals to
Enhance Efficiency and Reduce Costs in National Security Contracts” is being released in conjunction
with today's Government Executive event, “Next Steps for Security Reform.” This discussion will feature
Charlie Allen and John Fitzpatrick, Director of the National Archives’ Information Security Oversight
Office, who will address security clearance reform issues. Timothy Clark, Government Executive’s Editor
at Large, will moderate. For more information on the white paper or the briefing, please visit on the
white paper or the briefing, please visit www.insaonline.org.
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About INSA
The Intelligence and National Security Alliance (INSA) is the premier intelligence and national security
organization that brings together the public, private and academic sectors to collaborate on the most
challenging policy issues and solutions. As a non-profit, non-partisan, public-private organization, INSA’s
ultimate goal is to promote and recognize the highest standards within the national security and
intelligence communities. INSA has over 150 corporate members and several hundred individual
members who are leaders and senior executives throughout government, the private sector and
academia. To learn more about INSA visit www.insaonline.org.
About the Security Clearance Reform Task Force
The Security Clearance Reform Task Force was formed in 2010 by INSA Senior Intelligence Advisor
Charlie Allen in order to support the reform effort and improve efficiency in the clearance process. The
group meets with private sector partners, government workforce planners, security officers and other
notable experts to gain a complete picture of the security clearance process and offer concise,
executable recommendations for meeting the goals laid out in 2004 IRTPA and, more importantly,
sustaining them.
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INSA  901 N. Stuart St., Suite 205, Arlington, VA 22203  Phone (703)224-4672  www.insaonline.org