In February 2021, the Department of Defense (“DoD”) promulgated 32 C.F.R. Part 117. This move converted the National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual (“NISPOM”)—the rules that govern personnel and facility security clearances—from DoD policy into federal law. The move originally garnered little attention because the new regulations include virtually all requirements that were in the prior NISPOM. DoD, however, embedded new requirements with potentially significant implications for cleared contractors and their senior management officials (“SMO”). And the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (“DCSA”) is now signaling that it will hold SMOs accountable if they fail to meet these requirements.
A cleared contractor’s SMO is the person “with ultimate authority over the facility’s operations and the authority to direct actions necessary for the safeguarding of classified information in the facility.” § 117.3(b). Typically, the SMO is the individual who holds the top position at a company, such as a chief executive officer or majority owner. Prior to the promulgation of Part 117, the SMO had discretion to delegate responsibility over the contractor’s industrial security program to another employee. Section 117.7(b)(2) of the new NISPOM regulations has put an end to that practice.
Continue reading “NISPOM Creates New Requirements for Senior Management Officials”
