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Security Clearance Insecurity: Daily Summaries Delivered
by Federal News Network | Hubbard Radio
Millions of jobs require a U.S. government security clearance. Getting or keeping one is an anxiety-inducing process shrouded in mystery, and sometimes, urban legend. From drug use and bankruptcy to cryptocurrencies and motorcycle gangs, we unpack all of your top (or most unexpected) security clearance questions. We also talk with some of the leading experts and government officials charged with overseeing the security clearance process and establishing security policies. Security Clearance Insecurity demystifies security clearances, delivers expert insight, and answers the questions you’d never ask at work. Hosted by ClearanceJobs.com's Lindy Kyzer and Sean Bigley, security clearance legal correspondent and regular ClearanceJobs contributor.
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- 1 weeks ago28 min
Who Am I Now? Military Transition, Identity, and Self-Reporting
A security clearance can get you hired, but it can’t tell you who you are once the uniform comes off. In this episode of Security Clearance Insecurity on Federal News Network, Lindy Kyzer of ClearanceJobs talks with Army veteran Brian McGovern. McGovern served nearly 12 years as a paralegal and public affairs specialist and deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan. He is the author of Who Am I Now: An NCO’s Guide to Life, Work, and Identity After Military Service.Brian explains why your transition should start on day one, not in your last six months. He argues that moving straight into cleared work can act as a “shock absorber” that postpones your identity shift rather than completing it. He describes what happens to an NCO’s sense of purpose when the phone stops ringing. He also covers the money mistakes that follow service members into civilian life, which matters because financial issues under Guideline F are a leading cause of clearance revocations. Finally, he talks about why your family is transitioning too, and how he found his people after leaving the Army.Then security clearance attorney John Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC joins Lindy to answer a question that comes up constantly: if the government already knows, do you still have to self-report? With continuous vetting and Rap Back flagging incidents in near real time, they cover:Why reporting a DUI or arrest right away earns you credit.The steps you can take to start mitigating an issue immediately.When a security clearance attorney and a criminal defense attorney need to work together.Why holders with clearances across multiple agencies must report to each one, because the agencies don’t always talk to each other.Get Brian’s book here.Have a question or a topic you’d like covered? Email editor@clearancejobs.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- 3 weeks ago28 min
Veterans in Congress, Clearance Reform, and Your Deleted Social Media
Lindy Kyzer of ClearanceJobs talks with Scott Cooper, who leads policy at With Honor, about how veterans in Congress are working across party lines. Scott describes the For Country Caucus, a bipartisan group of more than 50 House and Senate members he calls "radical moderates." He talks about the caucus' role in moving the Russia Sanctions Act and about With Honor's new 13-month fellowship, which places mid-career professionals in congressional offices. The conversation also covers the civil-military divide, why security clearance reform is one of the few truly bipartisan issues on the Hill, and how Congress shapes clearance policy through the NDAA and the Intelligence Authorization Act. Scott closes by explaining why the ethos of service still matters, using a Winslow Homer painting that hangs in his office.In the second segment, security clearance attorney John Berry joins Lindy to answer a common question: can investigators see social media posts you've deleted? Usually they can't. The real risk is deleting posts to hide something that contradicts your SF-86. They also explain why scrubbing your entire online presence can look like a red flag, and what a sensible approach to privacy looks like for clearance holders and applicants.This program is for general guidance only and is not legal advice. Send your questions to editor@clearancejobs.com.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- Oct 2, 202628 min
From Co-Op to Cleared: Northeastern's Talent Pipeline, Plus Foreign Travel Reporting Pitfalls
How do we grow the pool of cleared talent instead of competing over the same people? Lindy Kyzer of ClearanceJobs talks with Jamie Jones Miller of Northeastern University, a member of the ClearanceJobs Policy Advisory Board. Jamie got her first clearance at 19 as an intern at the Defense Intelligence Agency, and she's held one through her career on Capitol Hill, at the Pentagon and now in academia. She explains how Northeastern's co-op program and industrial security team sponsor students for clearances, train future FSOs and place them with industry partners. She and Lindy also cover reciprocity problems, the push for longer eligibility timelines and a clearance ready reserve, and how to keep the human at the center as AI changes the work of intelligence analysts.Later, security clearance attorney John Berry of Berry & Berry, PLLC joins Lindy to talk about unreported foreign travel. They explain why "I'll just report it on my reinvestigation" is a mistake, what SEAD 3 requires you to report, and how continuous vetting flags travel almost in real time. They also show how a reporting lapse that seems small can add up to a personal conduct concern.Hear Jamie and more speakers in person at ClearanceJobs Connect Reston, October 15–16 at the Carahsoft office in Reston, Virginia. Register at https://about.clearancejobs.com/employers/events/clearancejobs-connect-reston.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- Sep 18, 202628 min
The Cipher Brief's Brad Christian Previews the Threat Conference's 10th Year
Lindy Kyzer sits down with The Cipher Brief's COO Brad Christian to preview the 10th annual Threat Conference in Sea Island, Georgia — covering AI's growing role in warfare, the widening public-private innovation gap, and the "gray warfare" tactics adversaries are using inside the U.S. homeland. Then, attorney Elisabeth Baker-Pham joins Lindy to unpack a less obvious clearance risk: how conflicts in Ukraine, Israel, and elsewhere can reignite foreign influence and foreign preference concerns (Guidelines B and C) for clearance holders whose foreign contacts were already vetted — through no action of their own.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- Sep 4, 202628 min
Modernizing SCI Nominations — and When Foreign Ties Come Under Scrutiny
This episode of Security Clearance Insecurity covers two timely issues facing the cleared workforce. First, Lindy Kyzer talks with Mike Flanders, founder of SudoTouch, about the technology gap slowing SCI nomination processing and how automation can help security offices keep pace with Trusted Workforce 2.0's shift to continuous vetting.Then, attorney Elisabeth Baker-Pham joins Lindy to break down Guidelines B and C — foreign influence and foreign preference — and what clearance holders need to know when conflicts abroad (Ukraine, Israel, tensions with China) change how existing foreign contacts are viewed, even without any change in the clearance holder's own behavior.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- Aug 21, 202628 min
FOCI Just Got a Lot Bigger — Plus, What Summer Fun Can Cost Your Clearance
This episode tackles two very different but equally timely clearance issues. First, host Lindy Kyzer sits down with Andrew Lotwin, Senior Vice President of Federal at ISI and a former senior leader at DCSA, to unpack the Department of War's proposed expansion of Foreign Ownership, Control, or Influence (FOCI) requirements. The draft rule would extend FOCI disclosure obligations well beyond the traditional cleared contractor base to any contractor or subcontractor with contracts over $5 million — a change DCSA estimates could take FOCI determinations from roughly 2,000 a year to as many as 40,000. Andrew breaks down what this means for industry awareness, DCSA staffing and technology needs, the strain on the NISS system as it transitions to NISS Increment Two, and how bidders (not just contract winners) could soon be pulled into the process before award. The conversation closes with a look at broader clearance reform priorities, including reciprocity between Title 10 and Title 50 organizations and the push for more transparency in the facility clearance process.In the second half, security clearance attorney Elisabeth Baker-Pham joins Lindy to talk about the clearance risks that tend to surface every summer: overspending and vacation debt, unreported foreign travel (including the "does a cruise count?" gray area), marijuana and hallucinogen use while visiting family or relaxing in legal-use states, DUIs around holiday gatherings, and the general lapses in judgment that come with letting your guard down. With continuous vetting now catching more of these incidents in real time, they explain why self-reporting and consistent judgment matter just as much in July as they do the rest of the year.Have a clearance question or topic you'd like covered on a future episode? Email editor@clearancejobs.com.Want me to adjust the tone, shorten it for show notes, or draft a shorter social-friendly version too?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- Aug 7, 202628 min
Could Veterans Soon Keep Their Security Clearance Eligibility Longer? Plus, Handling False Clearance Reports
Could security clearance holders soon have more time to return to government service after leaving the workforce? In this episode of Security Clearance Insecurity, Lindy Kyzer is joined by ClearanceJobs Content Director Jill Hamilton to discuss the proposal to extend the security clearance eligibility window for veterans from two years to five years, what it could mean for workforce mobility, taxpayer investment, and the future of Trusted Workforce 2.0.Then, security clearance attorney Elizabeth Baker-Pham joins the show to tackle one of the most anxiety-inducing topics for clearance holders: what happens when a former partner, coworker, or acquaintance reports you to the government out of spite? Learn how investigators evaluate allegations, why honesty and documentation matter, and the steps you should take if you're ever the target of a malicious or exaggerated report.Whether you're transitioning out of the military, navigating a career change, or worried about how personal relationships could affect your clearance, this episode breaks down what you need to know—and separates fact from fear.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
- Jul 24, 202628 min
Trusted Workforce 2.0: Closing the Continuous Vetting Gap with AI, Automation & Workforce Risk
Trusted Workforce 2.0 has transformed personnel vetting, but implementation is still catching up.In this episode of Security Clearance Insecurity, ClearanceJobs' Lindy Kyzer sits down with Aarti Smith, CEO of Chainbridge Solutions, to explore how continuous vetting is changing workforce risk management across the federal government—and why automation, AI, and modern personnel security systems are becoming mission-critical.They discuss:How continuous vetting has replaced the old "set it and forget it" clearance modelWhat Continuous Vetting Action Reports (CVARs) are—and why they matterThe growing "continuous vetting gap" between policy and operational realityHow DCSA's shared services and NBIS modernization could improve personnel securityThe role of APIs, automation, and dashboards in reducing administrative burdenWhere AI can support adjudicators without replacing human judgmentWhy applicant experience and secure onboarding portals are becoming essentialWhat agencies should prioritize as Trusted Workforce 2.0 continues to expand to larger populationsPlus, in a second conversation, Lindy Kyzer and security clearance attorney Elisabeth Baker-Pham discuss what every college student should know before pursuing a career in national security—from understanding the difference between a public trust and a security clearance to avoiding common mistakes that can jeopardize future eligibility.Whether you're a security professional, hiring manager, federal contractor, or aspiring clearance holder, this episode offers practical insights into the future of personnel vetting and workforce readiness.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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About Security Clearance Insecurity
Millions of jobs require a U.S. government security clearance. Getting or keeping one is an anxiety-inducing process shrouded in mystery, and sometimes, urban legend. From drug use and bankruptcy to cryptocurrencies and motorcycle gangs, we unpack all of your top (or most unexpected) security clearance questions. We also talk with some of the leading experts and government officials charged with overseeing the security clearance process and establishing security policies. Security Clearance Insecurity demystifies security clearances, delivers expert insight, and answers the questions you’d never ask at work. Hosted by ClearanceJobs.com's Lindy Kyzer and Sean Bigley, security clearance legal correspondent and regular ClearanceJobs contributor.
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