Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO)
The Defense Industrial Security Clearance Office (DISCO) located in Fort Meade, Maryland, processes requests for personnel security clearances for industry personnel under the National Industrial Security Program (NISP). There are over 1,000,000 cleared personnel under the NISP.
Clearance applications are submitted to DISCO using an automated process. The on-line process requires the applicant to complete an SF86 (applicant's Questionnaire for National Security Positions).
When DISCO receives the electronic application through the DoD Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS), the need for the clearance is verified and the request is forwarded to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), which conducts the appropriate personnel security investigation. When the investigation is complete, a report of the results is sent to DISCO for adjudication.
All applicants for personnel security clearances (PCL) are considered for an interim eligibility. An interim eligibility, when granted, is usually granted within five days after the clearance application is submitted to DISCO. An interim Secret eligibility will permit the individual to have access to most of the classified information needed to perform his or her duties. The interim eligibility is made concurrently with the initiation of the investigation and will generally remain in effect until an investigation is completed, at which time the applicant is considered for a final eligibility.
The decision to issue interim and permanent clearance eligibility is made by a DISCO adjudicator -- a person trained in the process of reviewing and evaluating security clearance information. DISCO, like all U.S. government departments and agencies, uses 13 adjudicative guidelines that provide consistent evaluation standards. Financial considerations, criminal conduct, allegiance to the United States and outside activities are examples of adjudication standards.
If the DISCO adjudicator cannot affirmatively find that it is clearly consistent with the national interest to grant or continue a personnel security clearance, the case is referred to the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) for further review.
December 2011