(Wed, 27 Aug 2008 10:58:31 -0500 (CDT)) --- SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2008, Issue No. 84
August 27, 2008
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** NASA SECURITY BADGE HOLDER MAY POSE A SAFETY HAZARD
** RECENTLY PUBLISHED HEARINGS ON NATIONAL SECURITY
NASA SECURITY BADGE HOLDER MAY POSE A SAFETY HAZARD
A secure identification badge holder that was issued to NASA employees
could pose a threat to sensitive NASA operations or personnel, the agency
warned.
The badge holders were issued to comply with President Bush's Homeland
Security Presidential Directive-12, which requires all government
personnel to possess a secure, tamper-proof form of identification.
But the NASA badge holders, which are "electromagnetically opaque" to
guard against unauthorized scanning of the identity badges, have created
new safety problems of their own.
"The current issue with the badge holder is the possibility of the badge
holder becoming a Foreign Object Damage (FOD) hazard to ... hardware, or a
projectile hazard under certain circumstances," wrote Randy J. Aden, the
senior security official at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, in an email
message to all JPL personnel on August 22.
A NASA Kennedy Space Center Safety Notice on August 15 provided additional
background.
"The badge holder may separate with little effort, allowing the clips, the
front half of the holder and badge ID to separate creating a significant
FOD hazard in controlled areas," the Safety Notice explained.
Consequently, "personnel should ensure the badge holder is not worn, or is
properly secured, in the vicinity of sensitive ... hardware, such as
electronics, where FOD may be an issue," Mr. Aden advised.
Also, "When removing your badge, do not point [the] end with metal clips
towards your face or another person" in order to minimize the projectile
threat, the NASA Safety Notice suggested.
NASA's implementation of Homeland Security Presidential Directive-12 is
controversial for other reasons as well, especially at Jet Propulsion
Laboratory. While the Directive requires agencies to verify their
employees' identities, JPL has instituted a far-reaching background
investigation process that goes far beyond that.
At JPL, the HSPD-12 "identification" procedure includes a potentially
open-ended investigation into employees' finances, intimate relations, and
personal conduct. It is roughly comparable to a security clearance
background investigation, although few scientists are involved in
classified research at JPL, which is mainly devoted to planetary
exploration.
Last year, 28 senior scientists at JPL filed a lawsuit to challenge the
Lab's implementation of HSPD-12, which they described as overly intrusive
and unconstitutional. Descriptive information on the case, which remains
pending, is available from the plaintiffs here:
The official JPL web site states that "The successful implementation of
HSPD-12 will increase the security of Federal facilities and Federal IT
systems. This will provide better protection for the employees, the
information systems and the employee's work products."
Neither the JPL public web site nor other NASA web sites mention the new
badge holder safety issue.
RECENTLY PUBLISHED HEARINGS ON NATIONAL SECURITY
Numerous congressional records on national security policy have been
published in the last couple of weeks, including those listed below. Some
of them may have continuing reference value.
"Department of Justice to Guantanamo Bay: Administration Lawyers and
Administration Interrogation Rules (Part I)," House Judiciary Committee,
May 6, 2008:
"Diplomatic Assurances and Rendition to T-rture: The Perspective of the
State Department's Legal Adviser," House Foreign Affairs Committee, June
10, 2008:
"Improving Detainee Policy: Handling Terrorism Detainees Within the
American Justice System," Senate Judiciary Committee, June 4, 2008:
"The National Security Letters Reform Act of 2007," House Judiciary
Committee, April 15, 2008:
"Federal Bureau of Investigation (Part II)," House Judiciary Committee,
April 23, 2008:
"Warrantless Surveillance and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act:
The Role of Checks and Balances in Protecting Americans' Privacy Rights,"
House Judiciary Committee, September 5, 2007:
"FISA for the Future: Balancing Security and Liberty," House Intelligence
Committee, September 18, 2007:
"Nomination of Dr. Donald M. Kerr to be Principal Deputy Director of
National Intelligence," Senate Intelligence Committee, August 1, 2007:
_______________________________________________
Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the
Federation of American Scientists.
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_______________________
Steven Aftergood
Project on Government Secrecy
Federation of American Scientists
web: www.fas.org/sgp/index.html
email: saftergood@fas.org
voice: (202) 454-4691
"Steven Aftergood" (saftergood@fas.org).
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