Security Clearance Insecurity

Women have played a central role in the intelligence community since it's foundation, but for a long time those stories were untold, and hidden by more than just a shadow of secrecy and security policy. In her recent book, The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA, Liza Mundy follows the stories of several women who joined the CIA at critical inflection points, and the roles they play...

Your favorite national security pop culture talk is back with Eric Pecinovsky, vice president of marketing at ClearanceJobs and resident documentary expert. He discusses the 2017 documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story, now streaming on Netflix. While best known as a Hollywood starlet, she should be most remembered for her significant technical and scientific achievements. Lamarr coinvented a...

National security compensation is increasing, according to the results of the 2024 Security Clearance Compensation Report. ClearanceJobs senior editor Jill Hamilton joins the show to discuss the survey and the current trends in cleared compensation. Download the report here . In the second half of the show, ClearanceJobs' Lindy Kyzer and Sean Bigley discuss the finer points of what can happen when...

Supply chain security is a term that is often discussed but rarely understood. Many definitions of supply chain are still centered on a logistics and physical infrastructure focused definition. Theresa Campobasso, Senior Vice President of Strategic Accounts, Exiger Government Solutions, joins Security Clearance Insecurity to talk about the 21st century supply chain. She shares more about how succe...

As we gear up for another election cycle, the 'deep state divide' remains a divisive topic, and disinformation continues to threaten the spread of accurate information about issues at home and abroad. For women in national security, in particular, there are increased risks for being a public facing voice. Nina Jankowicz, disinformation expert and author of the book 'How to Be a Woman Online' joins...

Selling and delivering solutions to the federal government takes a different approach than the typical sales cycle. Commercial sector companies sometimes find success in bringing a product or solution to the federal government, but then struggle to grow their businesses and get that critical next contract. Kristin Sargent founded Sargent Initiatives to help companies execute for defense customers....

The security clearance is by nature intrusive - and dredges up a number of details that would never see the light of day in a traditional employment process. How can the government work to ensure greater equity and inclusion in light of the potential for bias inherent in personnel vetting? A recent report released by RAND looks into the potential for bias and inequity in the clearance process. Sin...

The security clearance process has been on and off the Government Accountability Office (GAO) high risk list for several years. The GAO high risk list flags programs 'vulnerable to waste, fraud, abuse, or mismanagement, or in need of transformation.' Despite the government's Trusted Workforce 2.0 effort, the GAO continues to flag security clearance reform progress including topics like the Nationa...

Punk and innovation - a match made in the mosh pit? Dan Ward, a retired US Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and author of the recently released Punk: Prompts and Provocations for Authentic Innovations discusses the book and why a little bit of punk may be just the unexpected angle your problem needs. In Ward's extensive career as a program manager and innovator, he's seen the benefit of looking at com...

Operating under Continuing Resolutions is no longer the exception - it's the norm. But what happens to innovation in the defense industry when the budget process becomes an annual race to the fiscal cliff? Jane Lee, Chief Government Relations Officer at Rebellion Defense discusses how the current government budget process affects defense contracting. She also addresses innovative approaches to mak...

While it's easier to see women at work across national security, the overall numbers still point toward a community that struggles to both attract and advance women in critical national security roles. #NatSecGirlSquad is a professional development community dedicated to supporting women in the national security space. #NatSecGirlSquad and Unicorn Strategies founder Maggie Feldman Piltch discussed...

The security clearance marketplace continues to grow more challenging for recruiters and hiring managers. Unfortunately, 2024 looks to be more of the same, with heavy competition for cleared candidates and national security professionals. Evan Lesser, founder and president of ClearanceJobs.com, talks about what companies and federal agencies can expect from the cleared community in 2024, how they...

Who are the 'customers' who are a part of the security clearance process? And does the government consider the stakeholders involved in the security clearance process in a way that could improve the security vetting enterprise? A recent report from the RAND Corporation dives into the candidate experience journey and how it applies to personnel vetting. David Stebbins, political scientist and Rich...

Ana Montes spied on behalf of communist Cuba for 17 years. A new book by former FBI agent Peter Lapp discusses how Montes was able to carry out as a dangerous insider for nearly two decades, and his own career journey with the FBI. In our interview, we discuss how the book outlines loyalties "from both sides of the equation," and what took one person down a path to protecting and defending America...

When you come across companies supporting the defense and intelligence community and doing it with a focus on innovation and company culture - you take notice. ClearanceJobs chats with Michaela Flatau, chief unicorn collector (i.e. 'putting the human back in human resources') for Defense Unicorns. Defense Unicorns is an innovative software development/delivery company, competing for the best tech...

Healthcare is one of the most at risk elements of critical infrastructure. Brian Mazanec, Deputy Director, Office of Preparedness in the Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response, chats with ClearanceJobs about how the Healthcare and Public Health (HPH) sectors are responding to the rising risks. He shares why healthcare professionals need to care about cybersecurity, the cascading ri...

Eric Pecinovsky, VP of marketing at ClearanceJobs.com is back on the podcast to discuss our upcoming Connect 2023. This is the third year for bringing together national security hiring professionals for the only event of its kind. Speakers this year include Tracy Walder, Sue Gordon, DCSA, ODNI, and a unique blend of government contractors and government agencies to discuss key issues affecting the...

More companies understand the risks of insider threats, but too many assume that addressing insider risk is a primarily government function. Trusted Workforce 2.0 has created continuous vetting and other solutions to help identify risks, sooner - but they're not the only options companies have today. Given the average insider risk incident will cost a company nearly 10 million, a small investment...

The Homeland Security Experts Group is gearing up for their upcoming Homeland Security Enterprise Forum, a two-day event designed to bring together leaders around the critical topics affecting our nation. ClearanceJobs sat down with William Evanina, former director of the National Counterintelligence and Security Center and a HSEG expert, and Rob Walker, executive director of HSEG to discuss the u...

It's National Insider Risk Awareness Month, a month where companies and government agencies step out and look to step up their insider risk understanding. ClearanceJobs chatted with Dave Komendat, the former Chief Security Officer at Boeing, currently the president of DSKomendat Risk Management Services, and recently named as an advisor for SIMS Software, a leading security information management...

The National Cryptologic Foundation (NCF) is gearing up for their second annual Cocktails and Codebreakers event. This year's event, co-hosted by NCF and the Intelligence and National Security Foundation (INSF), spotlights the Men and Women in Cryptology and will feature a Fireside Chat with guest speakers The Honorable Ronald S. Moultrie, Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security...

Reducing stigma around mental health issues has been a major push across the defense industry and cleared community. Changes to the SF-86 have made the form less stressful and more straightforward for many applicants, but for those new to the intelligence community or seasoned professionals, stigma remains a battle worth fighting. The Mission for the Mind is a multi-year campaign launched by Leido...

If you work in national security, you need to stay in the know on the changing government contracting landscape. Enter GovBrew, a free newsletter written by those in the know, to give you the news you need to know. Lindy Kyzer with ClearanceJobs chats with Shane Prosser, co-founder of GovBrew and co-founder and CEO of FalconTek. Prosser is a U.S. Army veteran who leveraged his security clearance t...

Security clearance topics remain in the news - but who are Special Security Officers (SSOs), and what role do they play in keeping classified programs safe? ClearanceJobs is joined by Mitch Lawrence, founder of Lawrence Solutions , and Peter Lapp, owner of PJ Lapp Consulting , to discuss their upcoming Special Security Officer Survival Course, why the role of SSO is important, and why it's critica...

ClearanceJobs chatted with Vince Virga, chairman and co-founder of Skillstorm. Skillstorm trains and deploys developers and tech talent to help assist companies and government agencies with their workforce needs. Skillstorm also works directly with talent to help them upskill or reskill into the most in-demand tech jobs, including working with service members through the Army and Air Force COOL pr...