How to Report Information to Your Security Officer

Confused about what you’re required to self-report as a security clearance holder? You’re not alone. The self-reporting process is confusing. And in the wake of yet another scandal where a security clearance holder walked out with thousands of pages of classified material, the issue with self-reporting is likely to be even more prominent. Harold Martin had a series of issues that should have been reported to his security officer, that should have come up if continuous monitoring were in place, but which may have been undiscovered if Martin didn’t report the adverse information.

If you’re looking for a fun way to check up on how well you really understand what you need to self-report, take our short quiz. It runs down some of the most common issues that need to be reported.

If you’re wondering how to report information to your security officer, it’s pretty simple – simply call, email, or walk over to his or her desk. The most critical thing to do is to follow-up with your security officer after you report the information. They should give you an honest answer as to how what you’ve reported may or may not affect your clearance, and if anything will be added to your record in JPAS or Scattered Castles. The last thing you want is to leave the position only to discover an incident report was placed on your record – which you haven’t responded to.