DOD Adjusts Plans On Hiring Foreign IT Workers

[InfoSec News <isn () c4i org>]

http://www.newsbytes.com/news/02/176814.html

By Dawn S Onley, Government Computer News
WASHINGTON, D.C., U.S.A.,
30 May 2002, 10:44 AM CST
 
The Defense Department has rethought plans to disqualify foreign
nationals from jobs that include handling unclassified but sensitive
IT.
  
If would-be workers pass background investigations and get letters of
approval from the agency chiefs seeking to employ them, the department
will allow the hires to proceed, senior DOD managers said.

Defense agency chiefs are encouraged to hire U.S. citizens first for
sensitive IT positions, said Pete Nelson, DOD's deputy director for
personnel security. Foreign nationals can still work on systems within
DOD provided they are "properly vetted for the material to which they
have access," he said.

When DOD issued its no-foreigners proposal in March, some industry
officials expressed concern that the rule would call for foreign
employees to be removed from positions in which they would handle
sensitive but unclassified information. Such data includes personnel
data and information on weapons systems.

"There is no per se rule to disqualify foreign nationals other than to
encourage use of U.S. citizens in [sensitive but unclassified
positions, but that is ultimately up to the system owner or agency
head," Nelson said.

He said DOD would require U.S. citizens as well as foreign nationals
to pass background investigations to gain access to secure data.

It is still unclear how many contractors would be affected by the
proposal.

DOD expects to issue a final policy by September.



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