Creating a new mission-driven DIS.

One important aspect of the reengineering efforts taking place within the government's Defense Industrial Security Program (DISP) is the conversion of DIS from a rule-driven organization to a mission-driven organization.

In the book Reinventing Government, authors David Osborne and Ted Gaebler write about the emergence of entrepreneurial government. This new model of government is mission driven. According to Osborne and Gaebler, most public organizations are still driven by overly specific rules and limited by a budgetary system that is ineffectively designed. Entrepreneurial governments rid themselves of these old rules and systems.

DIS has begun the process of changing from a rule-driven to a mission-driven organization. DIS has prepared and adopted a mission statement that will serve as a guideline against which the relevance of actions in providing services and products can be measured. The mission statement is:

The purpose of the Industrial Security Program is to support the national security strategy of the United States by working in partnership with industry to develop and maintain security systems which provide critical technology a level of protection that is rational, threat-appropriate and cost-effective.

To put the fundamental purpose into perspective, DIS identified three objectives that define why the organization functions as it does.

* To contribute to the conservation of the U.S. industrial base and foster its competitiveness in the global economy

* To aid in the preservation of the advantage that superior technology provides our forces on the battlefield

* To be responsive to and balance the needs of customers in both government contracting and private industry

This statement of purpose as amplified by the three objectives serves as the motto for the future and will be at the heart of every decision DIS makes. DIS personnel should focus on these objectives as they perform their industrial security functions. To that end, the agency has recently adopted three standards to measure its success.

Rationality. Within DIS, personnel understand that if actions and decisions are to be rational, a clear understanding of the big picture is imperative. All goals and decisions must mesh with national-level strategies and priorities.

The plan is to enhance training efforts to ensure the continuation of a knowledgeable work force with an understanding of national-level priorities and strategies. DIS personnel should be able to translate their knowledge into practical application within the industrial security program. Security experts should be trained in all security disciplines, responsive to the needs of customers, and able to offer alternatives to standardized security requirements.

The National Industrial Security Program Operating Manual will soon replace the DoD Industrial Security Manual. This document will only address the most common situations. Problems will inevitably demand deviation. In those cases, strict compliance is not rational, threat-appropriate, or cost-effective. As these instances occur, the industrial security representative will work with the contractor to find the solution most satisfactory for that specific situation and, when necessary, waive the standardized requirements through appropriate channels.

Threat-appropriate. With the end of the Cold War, the world is less predictable. The future depends on a more realistic identification of existing threats and an appropriate and individualized approach to counter those threats. A security program centered around identification of the threat is essential to making rational decisions and eliminating extraneous and unnecessary security requirements.

A newly established counterintelligence office is responsible for providing the agency with relevant and timely threat information that will be integrated into the industrial and personnel security programs. The ultimate goal includes training DIS employees in counterintelligence so that personnel can make rational decisions based upon current data. DIS should also be able to provide customers with timely, relevant threat information. Such data can help customers establish or modify their security programs.

Cost-effective. The DoD has also initiated acquisition reforms. The changes proposed as part of these reforms are not within the purview of DIS but they are critical to the development and application of security requirements within the DISP, DIS can facilitate the reforms by removing security impediments to the reform and providing flexible new security standards.

DIS intends to identify and recommend the elimination of inefficient security rules and regulations developed in a previous era when the prevailing philosophy was risk avoidance. By eliminating these inefficiencies and focusing on identification of the threat to specific programs, technologies, and contractors, DIS will be able to apply the new philosophy and principles of risk management and eliminate unnecessary security costs.

It is no longer acceptable to insist on standardized requirements based only on generally accepted perceptions of adequate security. DIS hopes to achieve a more individualized approach to security. As one specific measure to reduce contractor costs, contractors may now remove proprietary systems established to meet unique security requirements and replace them with more modern, general equipment.

The transition to a mission-driven DIS will not occur without difficulty; however, the agency is committed to replacing the current system with one modeled after the principles in the Report of the National Performance Review. Input and assistance from both government user agencies and contractors will be required to make a successful transition. Together, a proper balance of security can be obtained that will enhance financial competitiveness, preserve military and industrial technological advantage, and ultimately improve overall national security.

John F. Donnelly is director of the Defense Investigative Service.