APRIL 21, 2006: MAJOR CHANGES IN SECURITY CHECK (PSI) REQUIREMENTS AND PROCEDURES, INCLUDING THE FULL TEXT OF ALCOAST 231/06

Some guidance from CDR Chareonsuphiphat regarding today's ALCOAST appears below:

 

It all boils down to this:

 

Prior to the ALCOAST, there were no less than 32 categories of people who were required to submit a Direct Operational (DO) PSI package:

 

air co-pilot, air crew, first pilot, air observer, aircraft commander, instructor pilot/flight examiner, ATON technician, ATON verifier, boat crew coxswain, boat crew crewmember, paddlecraft operator, personal watercraft operator, personal watercraft operator (in training), assistant pollution investigator, assistant pollution response specialist, auxiliary trident device (MS & MEP specialist), certified CPR provider, certified EMT, certified first aid provider, certified first responder, certified paramedic, fingerprint technician, marine safety watchstander, qualification examiner, watchstander (command center / operations center / communications)fixed/mobile radio facility operator, operations planning, interpreters, port security (as may not be covered by other competencies listed above), marine safety and security (as may not be covered by competencies listed above), some auxiliary staff officers (as determined by active duty operational commander, director of auxiliary, or the chief director), and as directed by a Coast Guard operational commander…

 

They just scaled this WAY back: There are now only four categories of Auxiliarists who are defined as DO (all other Auxiliarists shall require a favorable OS PSI):

 

a.  Auxiliarists who participate in air operations (specifically, this means all five aviation qualifications – Aircraft Commander, First Pilot, Second Pilot, Air Crewmember, Air Observer);

 

b.  Auxiliary elected officers as required by Appendix D of the Auxiliary Manual;

 

c.  Auxiliary staff officers as determined by active duty operational commander, Director of Auxiliary, or Chief Director of Auxiliary (CHDIRAUX specifies that all Auxiliary fingerprint technicians remain DO); and

 

            d.  as directed by a Coast Guard command authority for any Auxiliarist who, due to the nature of the support they provide, has a clear, articulable, and recurring need for a security clearance (e.g. – an Auxiliary comms watchstander whose duties require access to and handling of classified material along with commensurate need-to-know).

 

Background –

 

The DO PSI has supported eligibility for security clearances for Auxiliarists, as deemed necessary by cognizant command authority.  The DO PSI was broadly applied as a requirement for Auxiliarists who participated in operational and many specialty programs (e.g. - boat operations, air operations, interpreters, health services, etc), whether they needed a security clearance or not. 

 

As implementation of the Auxiliary PSI program entered 2006, the final year of its three-year implementation period, and more and more Auxiliarists have undergone the PSI process, concerns expressed by regional Auxiliary leadership, and in no small part Auxiliary membership itself, arose that warranted re-assessment of DO PSI requirements. Moreover, ALCOAST 033/06 recently clarified Auxiliary roles in homeland security by prohibiting the use of Auxiliary facilities for PWCS missions and restricting them to maritime observation missions for MDA support (although Auxiliary air facilities may be used for and applied to an operational commander’s Op Neptune Shield scorecard).  That further mitigated the need for operational Auxiliarists to be “security clearance ready.” 

 

ALCOAST 231/06 changes Auxiliary PSI policy by reducing the number of Auxiliary programs that require DO PSIs and placing specific emphasis on CG command authorities to pursue DO PSIs only for those Auxiliarists who have a clear, articulable, and recurring need for a security clearance. 

 

Any Auxiliarists who must still undergo the DO PSI process will continue to be held to Coast Guard adjudicative guidelines as applied by SECCEN. 

 

PSI packages that have already begun routing to the DIRAUX office that do not meet the DO criteria above will be forwarded as OS PSI packages.  Same applies for any packages currently at the DIRAUX office awaiting transmission to SECCEN that do not meet the new DO criteria. 

 

Auxiliarists who are qualifying in the boat crew program no longer require an interim certification once they receive a favorable OS PSI...because a favorable DO PSI is no longer required. 

 

Auxiliarists who have already received favorable DO PSI determinations will still have such status reflected in the Security section of AUXDATA regardless of whether or not they meet the revised DO PSI criteria.  In other words, they will remain DO in AUXDATA until they reach their 10-year NACLC update.  At that point, they will be reviewed and processed per the ALCOAST.

 

Hope this helps -

Commander David Chareonsuphiphat
Director, Eleventh Coast Guard District
Northern Region Auxiliary (dpa-n)
Building 50-2, Coast Guard Island
Alameda, CA 94501 - 5100
Voice:    (510) 437-3313    Fax: (510) 437-2728
Web: http://www.uscg.mil/d11/ops/diraux11n/

 

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R 211532Z APR 06 ZUI ASN-A00111000014 ZYB

FM COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC//G-PCX//

TO ALCOAST

BT

UNCLAS N16790

ALCOAST 231/06

COMDTNOTE 16790

SUBJ: CHANGE TO AUXILIARY PERSONNEL SECURITY INVESTIGATION POLICY

A. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 181104Z DEC 03 / ALCOAST 550/03

B. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 291646Z SEP 05 / ALCOAST 478/05

C. COMDT COGARD WASHINGTON DC 192016Z JAN 06 / ALCOAST 033/06

D. AUXILIARY MANUAL, COMDTINST M16790.1F

1. REF A ESTABLISHED THE REQUIREMENT FOR BACKGROUND CHECKS OF ALL COAST GUARD AUXILIARISTS BASED ON A TWO-TIERED PERSONNEL SECURITY INVESTIGATION (PSI) PROGRAM: OPERATIONAL SUPPORT (OS) AND DIRECT OPERATIONAL (DO). REF B ANNOUNCED POLICY CHANGES TO REF A REGARDING AUXILIARY PSI PROCESSES FOR NEW AUXILIARISTS AND ELECTED/APPOINTED STAFF OFFICERS. REF C CLARIFIED AUXILIARY INVOLVEMENT IN PORTS, WATERWAYS AND COASTAL SECURITY (PWCS) MISSIONS.  REF D INCLUDED A NEW SECTION THAT ADDRESSES THE AUXILIARY PSI PROGRAM.

2. A FAVORABLE DETERMINATION AT THE OS PSI LEVEL SATISFIES COAST GUARD REQUIREMENTS FOR SUITABILITY TO SERVE AS A COAST GUARD AUXILIARIST. A FAVORABLE DETERMINATION AT THE DO PSI LEVEL SUPPORTS ELIGIBILITY FOR A SECURITY CLEARANCE AS DEEMED NECESSARY BY APPROPRIATE COAST GUARD COMMAND AUTHORITY.

3. GIVEN THE CLARIFICATION OF AUXILIARY ROLES IN HOMELAND SECURITY AS DEFINED BY REF C, AND OVERALL ASSESSMENT OF PSI PROGRAM IMPLEMENTATION NOW IN ITS THIRD FULL YEAR, THE REQUIREMENTS FOR FAVORABLE OS AND DO PSI DETERMINATIONS WARRANT ADJUSTMENT.

4. THE FOLLOWING AUXILIARY PSI POLICY CHANGES ARE EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY:

 A. PARAGRAPH 3C4A OF REF D: DO IS DEFINED AS AUXILIARISTS WHOSE QUALIFICATIONS OR ORGANIZATIONAL POSITIONS INVOLVE THE FOLLOWING:

  (1) AIR OPERATIONS

  (2) AUXILIARY ELECTED OFFICERS AS REQUIRED BY APPENDIX D

  (3) AUXILIARY STAFF OFFICERS AS DETERMINED BY ACTIVE DUTY OPERATIONAL COMMANDER, DIRECTOR OF AUXILIARY, OR CHIEF DIRECTOR OF AUXILIARY AND,

  (4) AS DIRECTED BY A COAST GUARD COMMAND AUTHORITY FOR ANY AUXILIARIST WHO, DUE TO THE NATURE OF THE SUPPORT THEY PROVIDE, HAS A CLEAR, ARTICULABLE, AND RECURRING NEED FOR A SECURITY CLEARANCE (EG - AN AUXILIARY COMMS WATCHSTANDER WHOSE DUTIES REQUIRE ACCESS TO AND HANDLING OF CLASSIFIED MATERIAL ALONG WITH COMMENSURATE NEED-TO-KNOW).

 B. MONTHLY REGIONAL PSI SUBMISSION QUOTAS ESTABLISHED IN REF A NO LONGER APPLY. DIRECTORS OF AUXILIARY (DIRAUX) REMAIN RESPONSIBLE FOR OVERALL REGIONAL PSI PACKAGE ADMINISTRATION INCLUDING SUBMISSION TO SECCEN AND SUBSEQUENT MONITORING TO FINAL DETERMINATION.

 C. AUXILIARISTS WHO RECEIVE OR HAVE RECEIVED A FAVORABLE DO PSI DETERMINATION SHALL RETAIN SUCH IN AUXDATA. UPON REACHING THE 10- YEAR NACLC UPDATE, THEY SHALL REVERT TO OS LEVEL IAW THE NEW PROVISIONS OF PARA 4A ABOVE AND PARA 3C4B OF REF D. THOSE AUXILIARY MEMBERS THAT WILL REMAIN DO WILL REQUIRE A PERIODIC REINVESTIGATION AT THE 10-YEAR MARK.

 D. AUXILIARISTS WHO RECEIVE OR HAVE RECEIVED AN UNFAVORABLE DO PSI DETERMINATION BUT FAVORABLE OS PSI DETERMINATION MAY PARTICIPATE IN AUXILIARY PROGRAMS IAW PARA 3C4B OF REF D.

 E. DIRAUX SHALL WORK CLOSELY WITH SECCEN TO IDENTIFY PSI PACKAGES ALREADY SUBMITTED TO SECCEN THAT NO LONGER REQUIRE PROCESSING AS DO PSI. DIRAUX SHALL EFFECT ALL APPROPRIATE CHANGES IN AUXDATA AND ENSURE SECCEN AWARENESS OF SUCH.

5. EMPHASIS REMAINS ON THE FOLLOWING PROVISIONS OF REF B:

 A. PARA 4A REGARDING ELECTED OFFICERS

 B. PARA 4B2 REGARDING TIMELY PSI PACKAGE SUBMISSIONS

 C. PARA 4B3 REGARDING ONE MONTH ADMINISTRATIVE LEAD TIME AT THE END OF 2006

 D. PARA 4B4 REGARDING COOPERATION BY ALL THOSE INVOLVED IN THE PSI PROCESS AND,

 E. PARA 4C REGARDING ENROLLEE/APPROVAL-PENDING STATUS.

6. THESE CHANGES WILL BE REFLECTED IN A FUTURE CHANGE TO REF D.

7. DIRECT ANY QUESTIONS THRU THE COGNIZANT DIRAUX TO MR STEVE MINUTOLO, G-PCX-1, SMINUTOLO AT COMDT.USCG.MIL, 202-267-6421.

8. INTERNET RELEASE AUTHORIZED.

9. VADM T.W. ALLEN, USCG, CHIEF OF STAFF, SENDS.

BT

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