Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency


The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is a federal security agency of the United States Department of Defense. Within areas of DoD responsibility, DCSA is tasked with conducting personnel security investigations, supervising industrial security, and performing security education and awareness training. DCSA Industrial Security Representatives, Background Investigators and Information System Security Professionals are credentialed Special Agents. The Director of DCSA reports to the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence. DCSA provides the uniformed US military services, Department of Defense Agencies, 33 other federal agencies, and approximately 13,500 cleared contractor facilities with security support services.

History

Originally known as the Defense Investigative Service, DIS was established in 1972. In 1999, the agency changed its name from DIS to the Defense Security Service. In July 2019, it was reorganized as the DCSA, in conjunction with the transfer of responsibility for conducting background investigations from OPM's National Background Investigations Bureau.
For fiscal year 2016 DCSA was authorized 800 civilian employees. Of those, about 400 were field personnel directly responsible for security oversight of approximately 13,000 cleared defense contractor facilities.