Washington, D.C. - U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) Director Kay Coles James continues driving OPM's efforts to quickly and effectively migrate the Department of Defense's (DOD) Defense Security Service (DSS) to OPM's Investigative Services division. Once the migration is complete, OPM will conduct over ninety percent of all background investigations for the federal government.

"Providing background investigations for potential federal employees is a critical component of the War on Terror," James stated. "As such, we must ensure the migration of the Department of Defense's Defense Security Service function to OPM is done properly to ensure the investigation process and its impact on national security are uninterrupted."

To affect a smooth transition, OPM recently has met with the General Services Administration, DOD's Defense Finance and Accounting Service, and the Office of Management and Budget to ensure the accurate transfer of thousands of DSS payroll and personnel files to OPM. The meetings are critical to provide for a seamless transition of DSS investigations personnel without any disruption to the employees' critical workload.

"We take seriously our role in homeland security, and will do what it takes to guarantee a smooth and orderly transition," said James.

As a part of the FY 2004 budget presented to Congress, the DSS was transferred to OPM. Partnering with OPM's contract investigative work force, federal investigators will conduct all personnel security investigations for DOD, as well as a wider range of federal agencies.

In addition, OPM will use its new nationwide federal investigator work force to strengthen relationships with state and local law enforcement agencies.

"Combining and centralizing background investigations services under one leadership team provides tremendous benefits for national security because it enables OPM to apply all available resources to meet the federal government's most pressing clearance needs," stated James. "As new critical needs are identified, OPM will be able to redirect resources quickly to meet those challenges."

In addition, consolidating processing of investigations completed by both groups to one automated processing system will save the federal government and taxpayers over a hundred million dollars in future investments. For many years, each program had heavily invested in the development of automation support systems, but by bringing both programs together under one processing format, the best of both development efforts will be combined to maximize efficiency.

Our mission is to ensure the Federal Government has an effective civilian workforce. OPM supports U.S. agencies with personnel services and policy leadership including staffing tools, guidance on labor-management relations and programs to improve work force performance.