SFPC Industrial Security 4

Question 1

A cleared U.S. defense contractor comes under foreign ownership. DCSA approves a Special Security Agreement (SSA) as the FOCI mitigation instrument. The company now needs access to Top Secret and COMSEC information for a new contract. What else is required before it can be given that access?

Accepted Answer

The government must make a National Interest Determination (NID), because TS and COMSEC count as proscribed information under an SSA.

Answer

Under an SSA, the foreign owner keeps some influence. So access to 'proscribed information' (Top Secret, COMSEC other than classified keys used for data transfer, SCI, SAP, and Restricted Data) needs a National Interest Determination from the government. Proxy Agreements and Voting Trusts insulate the foreign owner more fully, so they don't need an NID. Board Resolutions are the weakest instrument, used only when the foreign owner can't get access to classified information at all.

Question 2

Under 32 CFR Part 117 (NISPOM), what must happen after a cleared contractor completes its required annual self-inspection?

Accepted Answer

The Senior Management Official must certify to the CSA in writing, every year, that a self-inspection was done, that senior management was briefed on the results, and that corrective actions were taken.

Answer

32 CFR 117.7(h)(2) requires the Senior Management Official (SMO) to certify in writing to the Cognizant Security Agency (CSA) each year that the self-inspection was conducted, senior management was briefed, and appropriate and sustainable corrective actions were taken. The contractor keeps the full report for CSA review; it doesn't have to submit it routinely.

Question 3

A contractor finishes a classified contract. The GCA has said nothing about what to do with the classified material the contractor received or created under it. By default, what can the contractor do?

Accepted Answer

Keep the material for 2 years after the contract is completed, unless the GCA tells it otherwise.

Answer

Under NISPOM retention rules, a contractor may keep classified material received or generated under a contract for 2 years after the contract is completed, as long as the GCA doesn't advise otherwise. To keep it longer, the contractor must ask the GCA for retention authority. Otherwise, the material must be returned or destroyed.

Question 4

A cleared prime contractor wants to award a classified subcontract to another cleared company. Who issues the DD Form 254 (Contract Security Classification Specification) for the subcontract?

Accepted Answer

The prime contractor, which issues a DD Form 254 to the subcontractor that passes along the security requirements of the prime contract.

Answer

For a classified subcontract, the prime contractor acts in the role of the GCA. It must verify the subcontractor's facility clearance and safeguarding capability, then issue a DD Form 254 that passes the classification guidance and security requirements down to the subcontractor. The GCA issues the DD Form 254 only to the prime contractor.

Question 5

As a condition of the facility clearance (FCL), which group of key management personnel must always be cleared to the level of the company's FCL?

Accepted Answer

The Senior Management Official, the Facility Security Officer, and the Insider Threat Program Senior Official.

Answer

Under 32 CFR 117.9, the SMO, FSO, and ITPSO must always be cleared to the level of the FCL. Other officials, directors, or key management personnel can be excluded from access by a formal action, such as a board resolution, in certain cases. These three roles can't be excluded, because the security program depends on them.

SFPC - Security Fundamentals Professional Certification Practice Test

SFPC - Security Fundamentals Professional Certification Practice Test

SFPC Industrial Security 4