Press Release
Tuesday, October 1, 2019
Tel: (202) 606-2402
OPM Finalizes Transfer of Background Investigations to Defense Department
WASHINGTON, DC - The National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) has successfully transferred from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to the Department of Defense (DoD).
NBIB will take on the new name of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). As of Sept. 30, 2019, the background investigation backlog is holding steady at approximately 302,000, down from its peak of around 725,000 in April of 2018.
“DCSA will be in the best of hands at DoD and with the continued leadership of Director Phalen,” said OPM Director Dale Cabaniss. “I want to thank Director Charles Phalen and his hardworking staff for serving the American people in a meaningful way. We wish them continued success at their new agency home.”
The transition of NBIB to DoD was enacted in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018. President Trump signed Executive Order 13467, officially initiating the transition, on April 24, 2019.
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is the strategic human capital partner to the federal government that is recruiting, retaining, and honoring the workforce that's landing rovers on Mars, fighting climate change and cancer, and building this country back better. OPM provides leadership and support to agencies through key issues and services-including human resource policy and oversight, federal employee benefits, and retirement services- that impact more than two million people in the federal workforce. As the nation's largest employer, the federal government is the model employer across sectors.