It seems like it was just minutes ago when we were hearing about all the updated reporting requirements of SEAD 3— an expansion of all the items that need to be reported by cleared personnel. As some of you know or may have heard, the SEAD 3 required FSOs to develop a process for distributing and collecting all of the new reporting requirements (we at FSO PRO are still tweaking our SPPs and sharing them with our members to meet this requirement).

Now, the government is distributing a SEAD 5…but this one is a bit easier. It is regarding social media and investigations. Anything that subjects undergoing initial or continuous vetting post on social media, will become part of the investigation process. What does this mean to you? FSOs will need to make personnel aware to be careful what they post on social media. This will most likely be something to remind personnel during election years which is often the time when people share their displeasure with the United States government the most. Other guidance can include travel or work comments. To read more about it: https://www.odni.gov/files/NCSC/documents/Regulations/SEAD_5.pdf

We are halfway through the year—do you know where your training is?

The “Security Training and Briefings“ section of the CFR 117 includes:

• Reminder that FSOs will provide all cleared employees with security training and briefings commensurate with their involvement with classified information.
• FSO Training: now within 6 months of being appointed FSO.
• Initial Security Briefing: before accessing classified which now also includes: CI Awareness, CUI training, cyber security and Insider Threat training if you have not added those topics yet.
• Insider Threat Program Training: you must provide Insider Threat program support personnel (HR, Finance, Program Management, IT, etc.) with security fundamentals, procedures for reporting Insider Threat, applicable laws and legal penalties, and insider threat indicators. DCSA often refers to this group as the “Insider Threat Working Group”.
• Records of Training: FSOs have to keep track of the most recent and type of training for cleared employees. Acknowledgements, sign-in rosters, certificates of training, and spreadsheets all work great here.
• Special Contract Required Training: Derivative, NATO, COMSEC
• Annual Refresher Training
• Debriefings

FSO PRO NOTE: It is not listed in the Security Training and Briefings section, but Pre-Foreign Travel and Post Foreign travel briefings and debriefings are even more of an important part of your training program.

Get any training you do not have on the calendar—PRONTO!

Quick Ideas For Getting Training Done

We all have those stragglers who just WON’T get their training done and sending constant “courtesy reminders” can get exhausting. (C’mon Susan—just turn it in!) Here are some ways you can get your team to complete their training.

1. Make a shorter deadline so they cannot procrastinate.
2. Make it competitive between departments. (HR vs Engineers!)
3. Give kudos and public shout outs to those who get it done.
4. Praise them to their supervisors when their training is complete and link it somehow to their performance reviews.
5. Send a BCC courtesy reminder. Don’t call anyone out.
6. Do it all in one “Security Awareness Week” and include fun contests, potlucks, spy movies, scavenger hunts, etc.

While we don’t recommend these per se, there are less “positive” ways to get it done. I hope it never comes to this but these tougher moves include:

1. Put their supervisor on the cc’ line when you send the first reminder.
2. Attach it to the time and attendance system where they (somehow) cannot submit their timesheet without it done.
3. Let everyone know the list of pending names is about to go to Executive Management — then send the list.
4. Let their supervisor know this could threaten their access which could delay access to their work.
5. Notify HR that this is an adverse performance for the subject and should be annotated.

I don’t love those last five. In fact, I hate them, but it is YOU who will be sitting in the hot seat when records are requested so I am not here to judge how you get that done!

Be a SUPERHERO FSO!

For those of you who find these changes overwhelming, fear not! The FSO PRO team, the FSO “Superhero Members”, and the FSO Success newsletter are here to provide you with support, templates, checklists, tools, and strategies for marketing all of this to your organization!

Together, we FSO Superheroes will move one another successfully into the changes ahead!

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.