Who could have seen all this coming?! Not us, but we hope you are staying healthy and safe!

By now, you have all (hopefully) completed your NISS PSI Survey. Since a lot of us are stuck at home – what else do you have to do? (Sure – you can binge watch “Picard” or “Tiger King” but there is still plenty of time left over!)

Whether you are stuck at home or have limited time at the office, now is a good time to take advantage of things being slightly less populated and knock out some chore activities.

Such as? Glad you asked!

Facility Updates!

Speaking of NISS…make sure your Facility Information is current! Not sure if you noticed or not, but not everything came over from eFCL. (Bob is getting NISS alerts? He left 2 years ago!) So, in addition to the PSI Survey, the government has launched instructions to check your Facility Profile in NISS and request changes. This is as good a time as any to do that! You are in there anyway! Ask this guy for the instructions if you don’t have them!

Spring Cleaning!

Now is a great time for a trip to Cabo some of the traditional cleaning activities – purging, tossing, organizing – for your FSO files.

Here are a few ideas to help you keep what is necessary and protect what is valuable.

Audit personnel files:

a) Training Records

You know when you send out the Annual Refresher of the Insider Threat training and everyone responds immediately and gets it done?… Yeah, we don’t either.

The problem is, after a few “courtesy reminders” it is easy to move on with life and forget that there are a few slackers training acknowledgements that are still due.

Training acknowledgements are very important, so now is a good time to find out if anyone is still pending and bring down the hammer follow up to get it done.

A LOT of organizations do their annual performance reviews in the Spring. If you are having trouble getting employees to complete the government-required training promptly, you can use this as a recourse action to make it more important to the employee. Or, better yet (because who likes to be the bad guy?) give kudos to quick responders for a nice bump to their performance reviews.

b) SF86s

NISPOM prohibits the keeping of SF86s of clearance candidates after they have received the final adjudication. While you are auditing the personnel files, make sure you delete or shred any SF86s. Note: it is a nice thing to do to check with the candidate first to ask if they would like a copy. This helps them with future questionnaires and confirms to them that you are getting rid of their very personal information.

c) Report gaps

This is a good time to check in with your “Insider Threat” working group: IT, Finance, & HR to see if there are any indicators for Insider Threats. Are you noticing that you are low on foreign travel debriefings or other essential self-reporting? Maybe it is time to plan a reminder for personnel.

d) Old records

Do you need to keep training records/spreadsheets from 2002? DCSA typically looks at records from SVA (Inspection) to SVA. If you have all your information electronically, move it to an archive folder or delete it. If you have hard copies, a shredder works fine.

e) Ghost Report, Orphan Report, Leech Report

This is all the same report but the name changes depending on your DCSA Field office.
Basically, it is the report you run to ensure no one is still attached to your JPAS who is no longer in your PSMNet. You can obtain the steps to running that report from this guy!

f) Master List:

Finally, list everything you need to do regarding your security program and start prioritizing items before the year gets away from you.

Experts tell us to pick the top three from that list and focus on those immediately until they are completed. Okay, the “Expert” here is our Mom, but she is pretty right most of the time. She also recommends daily vitamins.

Extra Credit: If you have “possessing” facilities re- member: During periods of system inactivity (e.g. hibernation) or when a facility plans to stop work for an extended period of time (e.g. virus shutdowns), an audit variance may be authorized. When requesting an audit variance, Industry must have a SOP that specifies how the system will be protected in a dormant state. The SOP will include a process for protecting the system through the use of physical security controls, technical controls, and immediate updates upon return to service. Be sure to coordinate with your DCSA Rep if you have items to safeguard!

4/20 Reminders: Update on CBD Oil

It has not changed yet, but the government does have a new policy regarding the purchase and use of CBD Oil. UNTIL that guidance comes out – it is the same as previously posted: DOD CAF’s current legal position is that ownership of marijuana stocks is considered involvement in drug-related activities and would be a “reportable incident” under the Continuous Evaluation process. Also, the same goes for CBD oil use. They both need to be reported for now.

Note: This information came from two separate DCSA Reps in the Capital Region. Always confirm information with your own DCSA Rep and provide guidance to your cleared personnel.

Need more explanation or assistance with any items mentioned this month?
Contact FSO PRO!

FSO PRO thanks all the FSOs out there for everything you do to keep the warfighter safe. Even the smallest task is designed to keep our nation’s information out of the hands of those who would do harm. We, as FSOs, are doing our part to stay vigilant and determined to protect those who protect us, even in our own small way.

That is why we say how awesome you are. And thank you.