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| By MICHAEL R. McKAY | |
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U.S. merchant mariners awaiting security clearances from the Department of Defense so they can ship out under Military Sealift Command or Maritime Administration charters are likely to wait a long while. The delays could make the handling of Z-card and license applications and renewals at some U.S. Coast Guard regional exam centers seem swift. The problem as identified by the General Accounting Office is a growing security clearance backlog at DOD. In a forthcoming report previewed for the House Government Reform Committee in May, the GAO warns that nearly 200,000 applications are on hold, and that the average waiting time for clearance is now about one year. The backlog could cause defense workers in several key industries to lose their jobs, add significantly to the cost of defense contracts, compromise national security and promote inefficiency, the GAO says. The report was summarized for the committee by Gregory Wilshusen, the GAO's acting director for defense capabilities analysis. He said there were 188,000 applications pending as of March 31, 2004. Included in the total were new filings, security clearance renewals and disputed cases awaiting resolution. "The size of the industrial personnel backlog may be underestimated," Wilshusen testified. According to the GAO (which conducts program audits and policy investigations for the Senate and House of Representatives), private sector personnel working under DOD contracts held an estimated 682,000 security clearances--34 percent of those issued by the department--as of Sept. 30, 2003. As the demand for security clearances for defense jobs increases, so does DOD's response time. Between fiscal 2001 and fiscal 2003, the average time required by DOD to determine clearance eligibility for contract personnel rose by a reported 56 days to over one year. Noting that "some government and industry officials have ... expressed concern about the security clearance backlog," the GAO report advises: "Delays in completing investigations of industry personnel and others doing classified work can increase national security risks." Delayed security clearance applications "can affect the timeliness, quality and cost of contractor performance on defense contracts," the report continues. The snags cost defense contractors millions each year, have a discouraging effect on personnel, and encourage poor business practices, including the hiring of individuals with valid security clearances but inadequate qualifications for specific jobs. This is not a new development. According to the GAO, there has been a security clearance backlog for several years. But the problem became acute when applications spiked after the terrorist attacks in the U.S. on Sept. 11, 2001. Applications rose at an especially significant rate between September 2003 and March 2004 as tough new requirements were applied. Now, the GAO report says, there are "large investigative and adjudicative workloads" at DOD, a problem aggravated by "the imbalance between workforces and workloads." DOD is "considering a number of initiatives" to confront the clearance crisis, including a review of "investigative standards and adjudicative guidelines," according to the GAO. But the department "does not have a management plan to address the impediments in a comprehensive and integrated manner." Instead, DOD has "numerous plans to address pieces of the backlog problems," but these plans "do not address process-wide objectives and outcome-related goals." Meanwhile, some civilian seafarers are reporting difficulty getting or renewing security clearances--even mariners who have held clearances for years and who have worked steadily in sensitive assignments on government-chartered ships. The backlog is a factor, but so are the more rigid post-9/11 security screening standards. Left unchecked, the situation could result in lost or limited opportunity for U.S. merchant mariners--a military support vessel will not wait at the dock for an officer or a crewmember who is waiting for approval from DOD. Prolonged delays could also undermine U.S.-flag ship operators' abilities to man ships for safe, timely and efficient performance under MSC or MARAD charter. They could force many skilled, dependable and experienced but frustrated mariners out of the industry, thereby accelerating the decline of the civilian seagoing labor base that is so critical for strategic sealift and other services in defense emergencies. Until DOD responds to this as a consequence of inadequate funding, inadequate manpower or both, the security clearance paperwork pace will continue to equal that of molasses moving uphill in New Hampshire in January. Note: an analysis of the new criteria for the rejection of security clearance applications was posted in the April 8 edition of AMO Currents. The analysis was also published in the May 2004 issue of American Maritime Officer. |
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