President Obama signs executive order.
In October 2011, President Obama issued an Executive Order 13587, which was designed to improve security of classified networks against the threats posed from insiders. Meaning those individuals, already vetted for access (by way of proper security clearances) who work within those government departments and intelligence agencies handling classified information who could pose a risk currently to the system ( i.e double agents, spies, saboteurs and disgruntled employees).
See website: Executive Order 13587 — Structural Reforms to Improve the Security of Classified Networks and the Responsible Sharing and Safeguarding of Classified Information http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/10/07/executive-order-13587-structural-reforms-improve-security-classified-net
The dirty little secret is that the bureaucracies within those various government departments and agencies, especially within the intelligence community are so large, entrenched and multilayered that implementation of this executive order has been totally uneven across the board.
For example, top management officials who are inept, deficient or slow in implementing of the executive order are currently not being held accountable!
It is already well know that the implementation of Executive order 13587 has been agonizingly slow and benchmarks in terms of deadlines have been set too far out, according to various sources I’ve talked with over the last eleven months or more, while trying to figure out where were at in all this.
There also seems to be a problem in terms of adequate funding and available manpower (which absolutely nobody wants to talk about) needed to adjust or “tweak” the system to meet the minimum standards of the executive order.
Its so bad in fact that the President would be well advised at this point to direct his deputy assistant to issue a directive to enforce the implementation of this order! Why this hasn’t been done already remains a complete mystery to me?
Lastly the deadlines for compliance is set so far out, coupled with the uneven nature of its implementation and total lack of enforcement standards in terms of meeting deadlines, that the order is failing to achieve its intended purpose to address the threat.
Repeated efforts to even get the White House to report where its at in achieving the stated goal of Executive Order 13587 has also gone unanswered?
In the meantime the threat posed by insiders remains as severe as it ever was and growing every day!