Security Clearance Research Articles

Introduction to Special Issue on the Early History of Nuclear Fusion

This introductory paper to the special issue of Fusion Science and Technology commemorates early research on fusion conducted at Los Alamos (the singular entity denoted Los Alamos Laboratory/Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory/Los Alamos National Laboratory at different times is designated “Los Alamos” in this paper) in support of the eventual H-bomb program. We survey the historical origins of the thermonuclear program, what was known of fusion reactions at the outbreak of the war, and the remarkable breakthroughs involving particularly the prospect of deuterium-tritium (DT) reactions conducted during the war, and we summarize the papers in this volume. Much of the nuclear fusion technical history presented herein has not been previously reported. Papers describe aspects of fusion science during these days, on shock hydrodynamics and on electron-radiation coupling, and on nuclear physics including the discoveries of resonances in both the DT cross section and in the lithium tritium-breeding cross section. Three papers follow our colleague Mark Paris’s finding Arthur Ruhlig’s 1938 paper on the first observation of DT fusion: one on how it influenced subsequent Manhattan Project research, another on a modern calculation of that historic experiment, and a third that has repeated the experiment using modern experimental capabilities. Other papers discuss how the first H-bomb test, Ivy Mike, led to the discovery of the new elements einsteinium and fermium and how the DT fusion processes played a key role in our universe’s development after the Big Bang. We also present a paper that analyzes the pioneering Cambridge University 1934 experiment by Marcus Oliphant, Paul Harteck, and Ernest Rutherford where deuterium-deuterium fusion was first observed and that describes how Ernest Lawrence missed identifying fusion in 1933. Finally, we present a summary of early concepts for controlled fusion energy that grew out of wartime discussions at Los Alamos. The papers show how J. Robert Oppenheimer played a leading technical role in the early developments of the H-bomb, before his later opposition—our first paper in this issue addresses the U.S. Department of Energy’s 2022 vacating of the earlier 1954 decision to revoke his security clearance.

Exploring the use of Information System Management in Ugandan Prisons

The article explores the prison management information system in Uganda prisons. The article revealed that the management of prisons in Uganda is still poor due to the manual structure of the processes. However,the system has the scope to be developed as a distributed application where each implementation of PMS in different prisons can be connected and communicate with each other worldwide. In such a scenario a person sitting in Uganda can access the data of different prisons in and outside Uganda. This will make the whole system highly centralized as well as well connected. Most importantly, it will provide the end user who has the necessary security clearance a single portal where he/she can access prison records from all major prisons in Uganda where the PMS would be deployed thus making it a truly practical deployable application that can be used in prisons all over Uganda and other countries. Keywords: Automation, Database, ICT, Prison information management, Prison system

Bolstering the Boys Club: Security Vetting, Diversity and Diplomatic Gatekeeping

Summary Much of the research on gender and diplomacy has focused on those already let into the ‘club’. This article analyses the ‘threshold’ to diplomacy: security clearance processes. Security vetting ultimately determines who progresses, and what level of clearance (and therefore seniority or position) a diplomat can achieve. This article seeks to trace the journey for individuals entering a diplomatic career. It argues that security vetting is simultaneously based on legitimate processes for assessing potential national security threats, and on values interpretation (such as loyalty, maturity and trustworthiness) which may invite bias or lead to illegitimate processes of exclusion. By excavating the gendered history of vetting, we can better understand the limitations of the current de-historicised and ‘impartial’ process. We argue that clearance processes have not sufficiently evolved over the past decades of social progress, which has negative implications for the evolution of diplomacy as a social practice.

Insider Threats to the Military Health System: A Systematic Background Check of TRICARE West Providers.

To address the pandemic, the Defense Health Agency (DHA) expanded its TRICARE civilian provider network by 30.1%. In 2022, the DHA Annual Report stated that TRICARE's provider directories were only 80% accurate. Unlike Medicare, the DHA does not publicly reveal National Provider Identification (NPI) numbers. As a result, TRICARE's 9.6 million beneficiaries lack the means to verify their doctor's credentials. Since 2013, the Department of Health and Human Services' (HHS) Office of Inspector General (OIG) has excluded 17,706 physicians and other providers from federal health programs due to billing fraud, neglect, drug-related convictions, and other offenses. These providers and their NPIs are included on the OIG's List of Excluded Individuals and Entities (LEIE). Patients who receive care from excluded providers face higher risks of hospitalization and mortality. We sought to assess the extent to which TRICARE screens health care provider names on their referral website against criminal databases. Between January 1-31, 2023, we used TRICARE West's provider directory to search for all providers within a 5-mile radius of 798 zip codes (38 per state, ≥10,000 residents each, randomly entered). We then copied and pasted all directory results' first and last names, business names, addresses, phone numbers, fax numbers, degree types, practice specialties, and active or closed statuses into a CSV file. We cross-referenced the search results against US and state databases for medical and criminal misconduct, including the OIG-LEIE and General Services Administration's (GSA) SAM.gov exclusion lists, the HHS Office of Civil Rights Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) breach reports, 15 available state Medicaid exclusion lists (state), the International Trade Administration's Consolidated Screening List (CSL), 3 Food and Drug Administration (FDA) debarment lists, the Federal Bureau of Investigation's (FBI) list of January 6 federal defendants, and the OIG-HHS list of fugitives (FUG). Our provider search yielded 111,619 raw results; 54 zip codes contained no data. After removing 72,156 (64.65%) duplicate entries, closed offices, and non-TRICARE West locations, we identified 39,463 active provider names. Within this baseline sample group, there were 2398 (6.08%) total matches against all exclusion and sanction databases, including 2197 on the OIG-LEIE, 2311 on the GSA-SAM.gov list, 2 on the HIPAA list, 54 on the state Medicaid exclusion lists, 69 on the CSL, 3 on the FDA lists, 53 on the FBI list, and 10 on the FUG. TRICARE's civilian provider roster merits further scrutiny by law enforcement. Following the National Institute of Standards and Technology 800, the DHA can mitigate privacy, safety, and security clearance threats by implementing an insider threat management model, robust enforcement of the False Claims Act, and mandatory security risk assessments. These are the views of the author, not the Department of Defense or the US government.

INVESTIGATIONS ON INSAR DATA PROCESSING STANDARD FOR VOLCANO ISLAND MONITORING IN INDONESIA

Abstract. In critical situations such as disaster and humanitarian relief, the reliable geospatial data will present an appropriate decision on a timely manner. As fundamental datasets, large-scale topographic maps are are mandatory in order to perform geospatial analysis for many societal challenges. Indeed, Large Scale Topographic Mapping in Indonesia shall be accelerated in an innovative and productive way to consider the production efficiency, especially for the geospatial data acquisition as its primary source. Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (InSAR) data acquisition presents some advantages, especially in conjunction with the security clearance and global weather as some main constraints for the geospatial data acquisition. In terms of disaster preparedness and emergency response, radar interferometry techniques can play an important role by generating a Digital Elevation Model (DEM) as an input to Decision Support Systems (DSS). In addition, the techniques of differential Interferometric Synthetic Aperture Radar (D-InSAR) can provide the earth surface deformation from time series Radar Datasets. A set of standards related to the InSAR data acquisition are essential, especially with regards to the improved sensors, and processing methods implemented by the worldwide space agencies nowadays. Hence, the precise definition of a standard is fundamental in order to prepare the InSAR data as one potential source of geospatial data and information, especially for LSTM data production. Generated time series of Digital Elevation Model (DEM) can identify the potential cause of 2018’s Sunda Strait tsunami (Tampubolon, 2019). It was related with the increasing eruption activity of Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatoa). From DEM analysis, the Volcanic mudflow material avalanche has been detected before the tsunami hit the coastal surrounding area. In this paper, more advanced techniques was investigated by the combination between Time Series DEM Analysis and Ground Displacement detection. The focus on the integration between reliable TanDEM-X and up-to-date Sentinel 1A/B was proposed on another volcano island of Gamalama in Ternate. As TanDEM-X uses X-band as its medium wave, it can produce more reliable DEM as a reference data. On the other hand, Sentinel 1 uses C-band that can contribute to detect the ground deformation over the aforementioned volcano island. TanDEM-X uses a more robust and consistent approach to scan the earth surface by single data acquisition scheme, which is generally more accurate and reliable for the DEM generation. However, many factors influence the selection of a platform that can be best suited for radar interferometry. Initially, the German TanDEM-X Coregistered Singlelook Slant-range Complex (CoSSC) using bi-static InSAR approach has been implemented in order to generate DEMs comply with the LSTM specification in Indonesia. The basic principle is performing a simultaneous measurement of the same scene and identical doppler spectrum by using 2 sensors, thereby avoiding temporal decorrelation (DLR, 2012). Subsequently, the differential InSAR techniques by using Sentinel 1A/B has been performed in order to detect the ground deformation. Finally, tt can be shown that the reliable TanDEM-X data has increased the ground deformation resolution and accuracy in order to provide potential solution for disaster preparedness.

A Meta-Review to Guide Military Screening andTreatment ofGambling Problems.

Excessive gambling can cause substantial biopsychosocial problems (e.g., difficulties with finances, relationships, mental, and physical health). For military Service Members, it can also result in security clearance denial or revocation, failure to achieve promotions, and premature career termination. Recent congressional mandates have obligated the U.S. Department of Defense to screen for problematic gambling, the predictive values of which are a function of (i) problem prevalence and (ii) tool sensitivity and specificity. This meta-review (i.e., systematic review of systematic reviews) on the screening properties of gambling assessment tools and the effectiveness of treatments for gambling disorder is to inform military services on responding to Service Members' gambling problems. EBSCO Discovery Service, PubMed, PsycINFO, Ovid Medline, Social Care Online, Epistemonikos, International Health Technology Assessment, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials electronic databases were searched up to December 2022 for systematic reviews and meta-analyses on measurements of adult subclinical or gambling, and interventions targeting individuals with GD. Three and four studies were included in each section of the current meta-review (i.e., assessment tools and treatment). For review 1, the estimated risk of bias was assessed using the Risk of Bias in Systematic Reviews. Thirty-one tools were identified through the three systematic reviews. All had modest sensitivities and specificities; combined with low prevalences in the general SM population, positive results would be incorrect 64-99% of the time. However, if screening were conducted with SMs referred for alcohol problems, a positive result on the best screening tools would be correct 76% of the time. Several commonly used treatment approaches had demonstrated efficacy for GD. The combination of low prevalence of GD and subclinical gambling problems in the general population, coupled with modest sensitivity and specificity, makes screening unfeasible in the general SM population. However, dual-phase screening in higher-prevalence subpopulations (i.e., SMs already identified with substance-abuse or mental-health problems) would be viable. Regarding treatment, several interventions-already used in military healthcare-with extensive empirical track records have been successfully used to treat adults with GD.

Thoughts on the H-Bomb Decision, Oppenheimer’s Loyalty/Security Hearing, and Vacating of the AEC Decision

This summer’s release of Oppenheimer, the major Hollywood movie by Christopher Nolan, has brought renewed attention to J. Robert Oppenheimer’s thoughts, concerns, and intentions regarding the U.S. pursuit of thermonuclear weapons. This paper provides context surrounding the 1949 recommendation of the Atomic Energy Commission’s General Advisory Committee, chaired by Oppenheimer, against a crash program for hydrogen bombs, a recommendation that would be used against him in the 1954 decision to revoke his security clearance. An appendix reproduces the April 5, 2022, letter from Los Alamos National Laboratory directors to the secretary of energy. In December 2022, Secretary of Energy Granholm vacated the original security review board decision.

Building the Operational Technology (OT) Cybersecurity Workforce: What are Employers Looking for?

A trained workforce is needed to protect operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems (ICS) within national critical infrastructure and critical industries. However, what knowledge, skills, and credentials are employers looking for in OT cybersecurity professionals? To best train the next generation of OT cybersecurity professionals, an understanding of current OT cybersecurity position requirements is needed. Thus, this work analyzes 100 OT cybersecurity positions to provide insights on key prerequisite requirements such as prior professional experience, education, industry certifications, security clearances, programming expertise, soft verbal and written communication skills, knowledge of OT frameworks, standards, and network communication protocols, and position travel. We found that OT cybersecurity roles are typically non-entry level, as experience was the most common requirement, and was required on 95% of analyzed positions. Possession of a bachelor’s degree or higher was required for 82% of positions, while industry certifications such as the Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) or the Global Information Assurance Certification (GIAC) Global Industrial Cyber Security Professional (GICSP) were listed on 64% of positions. Knowledge of OT or IT frameworks and standards and strong communication skills were listed on 48% of positions, while programming expertise, possession of the United States security clearance, and knowledge of OT or IT networking protocols were required for 18%, 24%, and 27% of positions, respectively. A work travel requirement was listed on 29% of positions. Individuals seeking to enter the OT cybersecurity field, and educational programs focusing on training OT cybersecurity professionals should prioritize obtaining experience, education, and certification, possessing strong communication skills, and knowledge of relevant OT and IT industry standards and frameworks.

Challenges and improvement of National Security Clearance in M&A by Chinese MNCs

With the accelerated integration of the world economy and the gradual development of Chinas reform and opening-up, Chinese enterprises have been making outbound investments and cross-border mergers and acquisitions more frequently. In terms of the attitudes of countries around the world towards the entry of foreign capital, some countries welcome the entry of foreign capital. However, others restrict the cross-border M&A of foreign companies entering their countries for reasons of domestic resource, technology and industrial protection, or to protect the interests of their national industries. From the recent development trend, the national security of foreign capital is especially cleared. Hence, this paper mainly studies the national security clearance system of cross-border M&A in the United States and other developed Western countries through literature analysis and comparative analysis. It also tries to summarize the characteristics and rules from them in the light of China's national conditions, supplemented by systematic research on cases of failed cross-border M&A by Chinese enterprises that encountered national security. Based on this, it will be very beneficial to the future cross-border M&A activities of Chinese enterprises, laying a good foundation for Chinese enterprises in the world M&A field in the future.

Oppenheimer’s tragedy—and ours

ABSTRACT In 1954, Robert Oppenheimer was subjected to what was rightly called “an extraordinary American inquisition” under the name of a security hearing. Despite having served his country so devotedly in heading the atomic bomb project at Los Alamos, he was now publicly humiliated, condemned as a security risk, stripped of his security clearance, and forced to step down from his government consultancies. Those hearings were skewed and manipulated in McCarthyite fashion. But while extremely harmful professionally and personally, the hearings were not Oppenheimer’s greatest tragedy. His greatest tragedy was the success of his leadership in the creation of the weapon. His remarkable gifts as a physicist and as a human being were most realized in the building of a weapon that could lead to the destruction of humankind. We should make Oppenheimer’s legacy to us the recognition that our only form of what has been called “nuclear ethics” is abolition.

Bulletin statement on the Energy Department’s Oppenheimer decision

ABSTRACT On December 16. 2022, the Department of Energy vacated the 1954 Atomic Energy Commission decision that revoked Dr. J. Robert Oppenheimer’s security clearance. The Bulletin applauds this important decision.

Driving Green Job Opportunities in Sustainable Waste Management through Co-Production Strategies: Informal Recycling Workers, Municipalities, and the National Agenda—A Case Study of İzmir

Informal recycling workers (IRWs), including waste pickers (WPs) and waste sorters, are essential constituents of sustainable ecosystems in many cities in the Global South. Despite their valuable contributions to the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable urban waste recycling, most IRWs work in precarious conditions. This paper examines recent efforts by local municipalities in Izmir to implement co-production design as a new institutional arrangement to generate green jobs for informal workers that provide high and stable incomes, job security, and social recognition. Using qualitative analyses of recent developments in the legal framework and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, this paper identifies the following challenges associated with the current co-production efforts as its main findings: the lack of fiscal and legislative support from the central government; failure to include all IRWs in the co-production schemes; and the potential exclusion of marginalized communities due to the arbitrary requirements of a security clearance, which limit the inclusion of IRWs in co-production efforts.

Bargaining with the Machine: Technology, Surveillance, and the Social Contract by Robert M. Pallitto

In an increasingly technology-mediated world, individuals constantly make decisions about when and how to interact with technologies. Traditional regulatory paradigms tend to treat these interactions as entirely driven by agential control, despite research showing that external forces intervene and shape individual choices. Against this fundamental tension of the information age, Robert M. Pallitto proposes a conceptualization of the interaction between individuals and technologies as “a form of bargaining” (3). Pallitto attempts to harness the analytical benefits of the bargaining framework while maintaining a somewhat critical stance towards the classic economic conception from which it arises, which views the individual as a rational decision-maker. He then applies this framework in order to explain the irresistibility of the adoption of technologies due to their efficiency, convenience, and ubiquity, coupled with the obscurity of the data collection practices which surround them. These parts of the book are helpfully supplemented by accessible descriptions of the implementation of these facets in several prominent technologies, including those connected to smart cities, the Internet of Things (IoT), and customer loyalty and air travel security clearance programs. The final parts of the book offer a cursory treatment of potential avenues of resistance individuals can employ and a rather short exploration of the connections between surveillance and social contract theories.

Analysis of Business and Governments Responses to Security Clearance through a Case Study Approach

With the ongoing trade disputes between China and the US in recent years, Chinese companies have struggled with their acquisitions in the US. Some studies have mainly focused on how Chinese companies should respond to US national security reviews, while there is a lack of unified recommendations on the responses of the two governments. Therefore, based on the case of the acquisition of Snapdragon by Asymchem, a case study approach is used to explore the tripartite role of Chinese companies, the Chinese and US governments in the national security review system. The analysis concludes that the security clearance issues faced by Chinese companies acquiring US companies are: industry attributes and sensitive technologies, derogation agreements and political risks. Corresponding strategies are therefore proposed for the three parties to respond: rights-limiting acquisition options, lobbying and a US-China bilateral investment agreement to facilitate bi-national investment with the joint role of companies and both governments.

Optimal Secret Protection in Discrete Event Systems with Dynamic Clearance Levels

In this paper we propose a general framework to design optimal secret protection policies in discrete event systems. In the system, some secret states are associated with confidentiality levels (possibly different), and our purpose is to design an event-protecting policy such that any user (legal or unauthorized) who visits a secret state must have a security clearance level no less than the required confidentiality level. We consider the criteria of optimality on protecting policies as to protecting policies with a minimum degree of disturbance to legal users’ normal operations. We develop an auxiliary data structure called the generalized secret automaton, based on which we propose a method to design a protecting policy using the classical supervisory control theory. The minimally disruptive protecting policy is then represented by an automaton called the secret enforcer whose state size is polynomial both in the number of the plant states and the number of secret states in the plant.

Spitting at Jim Crow

Spitting at Jim Crow

Protection of classified information in Bosnia and Herzegovina and Croatia. Selected criminal and administrative regulations

The article discusses administrative regulations relating to the organization of the system for the protection of classified information in the Republic of Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina, as well as presents the criminal laws on crimes against the protection of classified information in force in these countries, along with an interpretation of these laws. The article also presents selected administrative regulations governing the procedure for carrying out security clearances for the issuance of a security clearance allowing access to classified information. In addition, the rationale for classifying information and assigning it a specific classification is discussed. On the basis of an analysis of the provisions in force in Bosnia and Herzegovina (Article 164 § 9 of the Criminal Code) and a comparison with those in force in Poland, among other things, a conclusion was drawn that Polish legislation does not include a countertype that would relieve from criminal liability depositaries of secrets who transfer classified information (without obtaining the consent of the authorities specified by law) in order to prosecute the perpetrators of crimes. The above can be the basis of a legislative de lege ferenda request. The article does not exhaust the topic covered, but merely indicates selected issues of the system of protection of classified information. The exploration that has been initiated may be used to conduct in-depth studies of the issue at hand in the future.

Covid Safety System

Abstract: In this paper a Raspberry Pi based automated solution system focused on the real-time face monitoring of people to detect both face masks and body temperature with the help of MLX90614 sensor has been proposed. This is implemented using Python Programming with OpenCV Library, TensorFlow, Dlib Module. A security clearance system is deployed that will allow that person to enter if they are wearing a face mask and their body temperature is in check with WHO guidelines. A programmed hand sanitizer apportioning machine is mechanized, non-contact, liquor-based hand sanitizer gadget. Liquor is essentially a dissolvable, and furthermore a generally excellent sanitizer when contrasted with fluid cleanser or strong cleanser, likewise it needn't bother with water to wash off since it is unpredictable furthermore, disintegrates in a split second after application to hands. It is too demonstrated that a convergence of >70% liquor can execute Covid in hands. Here, we have used IR sensor detects the hand put close to which detectsthe distance and the outcome isthe pump starts running out the hand sanitizer.Thus, the above said system will help the society by saving time and also helps in contaminating the spread of coronavirus. This can be implemented in public places such as colleges, schools, offices, shopping malls, etc. to inspect people. Keywords: Deep Learning, Open CV, Keras, Python, Tensor Flow, Computer Vision, Raspberry Pi, COVID-19, DLib, Sensor, Sanitizer, Infrared sensor.

Beyond Cages: Animal Law and Criminal Punishment

Beyond Cages: Animal Law and Criminal Punishment

The legalisation of cannabis: A security-vetting dilemma

During 1996, the South African Intelligence Community issued the Minimum Information Security Standards (MISS), which inter alia address the protection of classified information. The MISS provide the principles, standards and procedures to be followed by all South African government agencies for the protection of official resources.3 This includes the granting of different types and levels of security clearances by the South African government to provide employees and contractors access to classified information. The decision to grant a person access to classified information is based on such individual’s security competence. This is an indication of the person’s ability – based on his or her conduct – to prevent classified material from being disclosed to unauthorised persons, which may potentially prejudice or endanger the security or interests of the employing institution or the state. An applicant for a security clearance may be a prospective employee applying for a post from outside the organisation or an insider who is already in the organisation, often referred to as outsider and insider threats.4 The process of determining a person’s security competence is referred to as security vetting for new employees, and re-vetting for existing employees who have gone through the vetting process in the past.5 In this article, the use of the term ‘vetting’ includes re-vetting.