Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus announced Sept. 18 three new reviews to better understand the circumstances under which security clearances are granted and renewed.
The reviews come in the wake of the tragic Sept. 16 Monday at the Washington Navy Yard. These three rapid reviews will be supplemented by a broader, in-depth investigation.
Mabus tasked Assistant Secretary of the Navy for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Juan Garcia and Navy General Counsel Paul Oostburg Sanz to conduct reviews of:
— The service record and performance of former Sailor Aaron Alexis. This review is designed to determine the degree to which his conduct on and off duty in the Navy did or did not meet the threshold for the sustainment of his security clearance and fitness for duty.
— The requirements and processes in place that do or do not require contracting companies to inform the Navy in the event those companies choose to review an employee’s security clearance.
— In keeping with Secretary Hagel’s order, the entire process and procedures under which security clearances are granted, validated and renewed in the Navy. Mabus wants particular attention paid to the threshold at which conduct issues demand a review of one’s clearance privileges.
“I want a complete and comprehensive look at how we grant security clearances, as well as how we decide to renew them,” said Mabus. “We entrust our people with our nation’s secrets and with access to our facilities. We owe them and their families nothing less than the assurance that everyone else who enjoys such a clearance deserves it.”
[mappress] Press Release, September 19, 2013; Image: US Navy