How secure is a system with 500,000 contract workers who have access to classified information?

[kentuck]

I would think it is a disaster ready to happen. The miracle is that it hasn't happened up to now. Of course, maybe it has happened but the culprit is still undercover and still dishing information, for all we know?

How foolish is our government to pay these private firms billions and billions of taxpayer money with this many people handling classified information?

I have known 3 or4 of these "contractors" (all Republicans) and they came from a military background before they went to work for Booz-Allen and HP and others. I have wondered about how many of these contract workers are Republicans? I guess it doesn't matter but they usually make about double what a military person would make doing the same job.

This is nothing more than a welfare program for the well-off that takes food out of the mouths of children and the hungry. They don't have money for food stamps but they have the money to pay these folks big paychecks to do whatever they do?

Will Congress continue to ignore this problem, even after the huge leak by Ed Snowden? I guess it all depends on whose ox is getting gored?

[KittyWampus]

1. It'd be great to get some elected Democrats making this argument. And it'd put the "patriotic"

spin on the left's side for once. And fiscal responsibility. And public safety.

The amount of money Booz Allen makes a year is astounding. For a fraction of the cost, government workers could do same job plus be held to a higher standard.

[JW2020]

2. Odds are

that for every whistleblower there are probably ten employees who are outright selling secrets to the Russians, Israelis, Saudis or Chinese.

[KG]

3. really, what could possibly go wrong?

I mean, we gots checks and balances and stuff and junk....

[JustAnotherGen]

4. +1

And just in general - how secure is it on the back end?

[atreides1]

5. I know some BAH employees too!

And none of them are Republicans...all voted for Obama in the last two elections...and yes they are military retirees who served for 20 plus years each.

As for pay, they get paid what a civilian federal worker gets paid who does the same job...sometimes they get less because what they are paid is determined by the contract requirements.


Most of these positions are filled by civilians, both contractors and federal employees...and while there are some positions that are filled by uniformed personnel...military personnel have other responsibilities...many that civilians and military retirees don't.

And since you named Snowden...how about the military personnel who have sold or provided classified information...the Walker family, you do remember them don't you...and then there's Bradley Manning currently being court martialed for almost the same thing that Snowden is accused of...and lets not forget federal civilian workers like Pollard, Hanssen, Ames, and the most famous of all Ellsberg!

If you're going to point fingers at contractors, then let's point them at military and federal civilian employees also, because it appears that those in uniform as well as govies are just as capable of doing what you're attempting to accuse all contractors of!

And I'm the last person to defend contractors because I had to deal with them while I was on active duty, but I don't believe it's right to crucify all contractors because of something that one has done, just as I don't believe in blaming all military or civilian federal workers for what those in their ranks have done.

[Nay]

6. It's not secure at all, which emphasizes the point that all this "security" is anything but -- it's

simply another private corporation feeding at the taxpayers' trough, as they have done for many years. The actual security of the country is the last thing on anyone's mind.

[uponit7771]

7. THIS IS the real story!! Not that other crap we already new and Obama was doing legally

[KoKo]

8. Nailed it, Kentuck. Who knows who these "Contractors" are selling information to.

Who knows who could be blackmailed, compromised, information used to advantage Wall Street Traders and Hedge Funds? Criminal Elements who can use that information for their own good in dealing with Law Enforcement to their own advantage. The possibilities are endless. And think of how information could be used Politically. Or probably HAS BEEN used politically.

Thanks for calling attention to this in a separate post.

[WillyT]

9. K & R !!!

[newblewtoo]

10. I only know

what happened when NMCI took over. Out went the civilian employees with a security clearance and years of experience, in came a bunch of brain dead contractors who had little or no experience, interim clearances (granted by who knows whom), and full system control rights to all data bases. Most were as poorly paid as they were trained but why would that be a problem, right? As is often the case you were told, "Hey, show this kid how to do your job" then hit the bricks.

In fairness, Clinton may have started the contract-out ball rolling but * Shrub took it straight to warp factor eight. Who would have thought it might ever be a problem?? I also have to point out that the 'contractors' were almost always top heavy in terms of pay. The managers were highly paid, the trench troops barely above minimum wage.

[HipChick]

16. I know a few companies that worked on that NMCI project

What a clusterfuck

[Orsino]

11. About as much as an undeclared war is winnable. n/t

[DevonRex]

12. First we have to know who the fuck hired him at CIA. And

who did his background check. Who looked over his qualifications and resume and decided he looked just right? Who did his psych exam and polygraph? Who recommended him and why the fuck was he given a clearance?

Without a previous clearance with a government agency, most contractors don't hire people like him. Why would they? He wouldn't be anything to boast about. No degrees. He's not family.

ETA: I don't like contractors much either. But I'm telling you how it is. They save money on the clearance process itself to get recent govt TS/SI cleared people. And a little prestige saying under their breath, "He was company before he came to work for us, you know."

[kentuck]

14. I recall all the contract workers in Iraq...

Many are double-dippers. They draw good pensions but this is easy money for many of them.

[DevonRex]

20. The ones that did their 20 and then got a contractor job? Yep.

And like I said, saves the contractor the clearance money. Gets to act like the guy's a real badass on top of it. Or woman.

[snooper2]

13. 500,000 people don't have access to top levels of classified information

think about it, it's on a need to know basis. Why do people even believe these things?

Just like the IRS threads from weeks ago---

"They went after teabaggers, they'll come after OWS when Republican are in office!" Sounded like Rush Limpnuts here.

Now all those folks are gone after making up propaganda when, as was told by the administration, it was just a couple people. Actually, it was one fucking dude trying to make his job easier by keywords like "teabagger"


Do people even think there are "thousands" of people sitting in little cubes staring at a screen.
Look, "got a hit! "kentuck" "ows" "Iran" popped up again, lets track him down!!!

wait-
Oh shit, I just posted that, Now they'll be looking for ME!!!!

[Nimajneb Nilknarf]

15. One person can keep a secret. Two people can keep a secret, but only if one of them is dead.

That's how secure it is.

[treestar]

17. Like most systems, it is imperfect

and the wrong person gets a security clearance. Still they are vetted. Eddie was a mistake, obviously. Thankfully he didn't get a higher clearance.

[former9thward]

18. Daniel Ellsberg leaked classified information.

He was a contractor. Do you have a problem with his leaking of classified information to the New York Times? The staff of Senator Kennedy's office worked with him on the project. They were public employees. Do you have a problem with them leaking classified information? I didn't have a problem with either one of them doing it.

[Progressive dog]

19. not very secure

Congress will continue to privatize government functions.