February 28, 2012

The Department of Energy's Implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12

Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 (HSPD-12), Policies for a Common Identification Standard for Federal Employees and Contractors, was established in August 2004 to enhance national security and mandate the use of a Federal government-wide standard for secure and reliable forms of identification for Federal employees and contractors.  The Department of Energy (Department) initiated its HSPD-12 efforts in 2004 and has spent more than $15 million, most of which was dedicated to issuance and maintenance of badges.  However, recent Office of Management and Budget (OMB) guidance directed that Federal agencies should have physical and logical access controls fully installed and that policy be issued by each agency to ensure all new systems under development be enabled to use HSPD-12 credentials.  In light of the updated OMB requirements, we initiated this audit to determine whether the Department implemented physical and logical access controls in accordance with HSPD-12.

Topic: National Security & Safety