Federal 100: Charlie Phalen

Name: Charlie Phalen
Title: Acting Director, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency
Organization: Defense Department

Clearance crusader. When Phalen took over as acting director of the National Background Investigations Bureau in 2016, he inherited a governmentwide problem: an overburdened mission with an excess case inventory. Within three years, he transformed the background investigation mission by instituting innovative policies and technological solutions. As a result, the backlog of active cases dropped from a peak of 725,000 in early 2018 to 231,000 at the end of 2019. At the same time, Phalen led the transfer of the background investigation mission from the Office of Personnel Management to DOD.

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