Rumsfeld urged to reverse DOD's clearance processing halt

PSC, ITAA, AFCEA and other groups want the Defense secretary to resume the normal flow of security clearances.

The Professional Services Council and six other organizations want Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld to immediately reverse the Defense Security Services’ decision to cease the processing of industry applications for new clearances and for periodic reviews of existing clearances.

In a letter to Rumsfeld, released Thursday, the seven organizations call on him to “immediately restart the industry clearance granting process and ensure it continues for the remainder of the current fiscal year.”

The DSS announced April 28 that it was halting the security clearance process due to a funding shortage and the overwhelming number of requests. The announcement caught many contractors and lawmakers on Capitol Hill by surprise.

The other organizations that signed the letter are the Aerospace Industries Association, Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association, Contract Services Association, National Defense Industrial Association, Information Technology Association of America, and Intelligence and National Security Alliance.