Defense bill calls for test of telework offices for classified work

Tucked into the fiscal 2010 Defense appropriations bill is a pilot program that would set up a secure telework site in the Washington metropolitan area for federal employees who need to access classified networks.

The National Defense Authorization Act directs the secretary of Defense to work with the Office of Personnel Management and the General Services Administration to identify at least two sites in the Washington area where they can test the efficacy of a secure teleworking location for government workers. The secretary would be required to submit a report on the agencies' assessments within 90 days after the passage of the bill.

"Teleworking provides benefits for continuity of operations during emergencies by providing alternate locations for workers to operate when their primary workplace is not available," the bill's report stated. "The committee is concerned that there are limited facilities for teleworking in a secure environment for federal workers whose primary duties require access to highly classified processing systems."

The project is part of the Defense Information Systems Agency's initiative to move employees from Northern Virginia to Fort Meade, Md., which was mandated by the Base Realignment and Closure Commission in 2005. Aaron Glover, telework program manager at DISA, said the 26-mile move has been difficult for DISA employees, 70 percent of whom live in Northern Virginia.

"Any other 26 miles wouldn't have been a big deal, but in D.C. that's like adding another hour to the commute," he said, noting DISA is using telework as a retention and recruitment tool.

Glover said 2,500 DISA employees have approval to telework, with the frequency ranging from once a month to the maximum three days a week if a supervisor approves. Most teleworking employees work from home on a government-issued laptop using high-speed Internet and a virtual private network to secure the transmission. Some employees, however, use DISA- or GSA-operated telework sites in the Washington area.

"When we asked [on an employee satisfaction survey] if telework has a positive effect on satisfaction, the answer is always yes," Glover said.

Employees requiring access to classified information, however, are unable to telework because remote access to computer systems is restricted to nonclassified networks. Numerous physical and information security requirements are placed on sites that access Top Secret and classified information, making remote access difficult.

"There are specific requirements that have to be in place with regard to the connectivity of the network and physical requirements as far as the network itself," Glover said. "As far as building security, there are certain construction requirements about the height of the walls, the thickness, the alarm systems in place," in addition to network security and access control requirements that current telework sites do not meet.

The issue of who can access networks that house classified information also has blocked agencies from setting up telework programs for employees who work with Top Secret information, he said. The fact that an employee holds a Top Secret clearance does not mean he or she can have access to any classified network. Every organization or department that operates a secure network likely would have to make allowances for its employees to access the network remotely from a teleworking site. Glover said these requirements increase the costs of a secure telework center.

"We would like to implement it as soon as possible, but it's still relative as to the cost and what's the return on investment," he said.

Rep. Rob Wittman, R-Va., a strong advocate of the telework pilot, represents the commonwealth's 1st District, where many of the employees affected by the base realignment live. He met with GSA officials and visited a nonsecure telework site to examine how the office is set up.

"I wholeheartedly support the telework center pilot project," he said in an e-mail response to a request for comment. "It will allow many 1st District residents with security clearances to work from alternate work locations closer to their homes, thus helping to create and retain local jobs and improve quality of life."