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The Adjudicative Desk Reference (ADR) is a tool to assist security clearance adjudicators, investigators and security managers in implementing the U.S. Government personnel security program. It has also proven useful to appeals panels and lawyers dealing with security clearance decisions, personnel officers making suitability and trustworthiness decisions, and Employee Assistance Program counselors. This program was developed by the Department of Defense Personnel Security Research Center (PERSEREC) as a service to the security community.
The background information about the adjudicative issue areas is not U.S. Government policy and may not be cited as authority for denial or suspension of access. The Personnel Security Working Group of the National Security Council Policy Coordination Committee approved this program and encouraged its use as a job aid to assist security personnel in making informed judgments to implement policy.
While the program can provide useful background or reference information for evaluating a case or explaining a decision, denial and revocation of eligibility for access to classified information must be based on the specific policy guidance provided by the Adjudicative Guidelines. From a legal perspective, the background information in this program is comparable to background information that might be obtained through library research. Indeed, most of it is based on library research. However, it is not all-inclusive nor necessarily the only legitimate point of view on the topics discussed.
This is ADR version 3.1, dated September 2007. The content of version 3.1 is the same as version 3 except several pages that were accidentally still marked as drafts were corrected and a few typos were corrected. Version 3 is similar to version 2 dated 1995 except that it has been updated to reflect the updated Adjudicative Guidelines approved by the President on Dec. 29, 2005, background information on the various behaviors of security concern has been updated, and additional modules on Counterintelligence and Counterterrorism have been added.
To facilitate access by persons with disabilities, this program conforms with Level A of the W3C "Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 1.0", available at http://www.w3.org/TR/WAI-WEBCONTENT/.
This program can be downloaded from the Defense Security Service web site at www.dss.mil. To locate it on this site, click on Security Library and then Personnel Security. To order multiple copies of this program on CD-ROM, contact the project manager at the address given below under User Feedback.
The ADR will be updated periodically as policies are changed or new information becomes available. Updates will be downloadable from the DSS web site. Any major update will be announced in readily available security publications.
User input is needed to make the ADR as useful as possible and to guide future updates. Individual users, as well as supervisors and managers, are invited to communicate directly and informally concerning suggested additions, deletions, changes, questions or comments regarding this program. Send messages to the project manager and principal author.
The mail address is Richards J. Heuer, Jr., Defense Personnel Security Research Center, 99 Pacific Street, Suite 455E, Monterey, CA 93940. The telephone number is (831) 657-3008, e-mail Richards.Heuer.ctr@osd.pentagon.mil.
The design and technical assistance of Robert C. Moul is gratefully acknowledged. His company is RCM DESIGN: Internet Consulting and Design, at www.rcmdesign.com.