A focused course, tailored for you
Industrial Security Program Management for Cleared Defense Contractors
Build a DCSA-inspection-ready security program from DD-254 intake through self-inspection closeout.
The self-inspection keeps surfacing the same finding. The corrective action plan exists. The gap persists. Most cleared program security managers carry the NISPOM knowledge. What they are missing is the operational layer that converts policy into a running program that holds up when the DCSA reviewer walks in.
$199 one-time
Tailored to your situation. Access within 24 hours. 30-day money-back.
Includes a hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access, generated for your specific situation.
Why this course
A cleared defense program generates security obligations across classification management, personnel security, insider threat, OPSEC, and physical security simultaneously. Each domain has a control library. What most security managers lack is the integrated operational framework that ties the DD-254 requirements to a daily and quarterly rhythm, keeps documentation current, and ensures the self-inspection closes clean. The gap is rarely knowledge. It is execution infrastructure.
The 12 modules
Module 1. Reading the DD-254: Program Security Architecture
The DD-254 is the legal instrument that defines every obligation your program security posture must satisfy. This module walks through each clause a classified naval surveillance program generates: TS/SCI access requirements, NATO caveat handling, subcontractor flow-down obligations, and the operational decision each clause forces. You produce a program security architecture document that both the program office and the customer security officer sign off on.
Module 2. NISPOM and DAAPM Compliance Mapping
NISPOM 32 CFR Part 117 replaced the old manual but the operational requirements are the same. This module maps the key chapters to the specific artefacts your program must maintain: the facility security record, the key control register, the classified visit request log, and the visitor control documentation. You build a compliance matrix that links each requirement to the specific document or procedure that satisfies it for your facility and your program.
Module 3. SCIF Accreditation, Maintenance, and Inspection Readiness
Accreditation under ICS 705 is a one-time event. Maintaining it is ongoing work that most programs underestimate. This module covers the physical security standards, TEMPEST zone boundaries, alarm system documentation, and the self-inspection checklist a DCSA reviewer will run on your SCIF. You build the facility inspection package so a government security officer visiting for the first time can audit the space without a guide.
Module 4. Personnel Security Administration and SF-86 Processing
Cleared program security managers spend a significant share of their time on personnel security: intake processing for new staff, need-to-know determinations, initial security briefings, and the administrative chain when a cleared employee reports something adverse. This module covers the full cleared employee lifecycle from initial investigation submission through the debriefing record, with templates for each stage that meet DCSA documentation expectations.
Module 5. Insider Threat Program Governance Under SEAD 6
SEAD 6 requires a formal Insider Threat Program with a designated senior official, a user activity monitoring plan, and documented reporting mechanisms. Most cleared programs have the policy but not the governance structure. This module walks through building the ITP charter, standing up the Insider Threat Working Group, defining the reporting chain from supervisor to program security officer to FSO, and documenting the quarterly review cycle that DCSA expects to see in the file.
Module 6. Continuous Evaluation Administration for Cleared Personnel
CE replaced periodic reinvestigation for most clearance levels, which means adverse information surfaces differently now and requires faster administrative response. This module covers the administrative procedures for CE alerts: what triggers a flag, what the security manager's role is before adjudication, how to document supervisor notifications without creating a liability, and what goes in the personnel security file when a CE case closes. Practical templates included for each step.
Module 7. Security Incident Reporting and Containment
A reportable security incident puts a security manager under a tight clock: containment, preliminary inquiry, notification to DCSA, and program office communication all run simultaneously. This module covers every category of reportable incident under NISPOM Chapter 1, the initial containment actions for classified spillages and unauthorized disclosures, the preliminary inquiry format DCSA expects, and the documentation trail that protects the program and the security manager when the case is reviewed.
Module 8. Classification Management and Derivative Classification
Most classification errors occur at the derivative level, not the original level. This module covers the operational classification management procedures for a program that generates new products from TS/SCI source materials: portion marking, banner line construction, declassification instruction, and the review process before a new deliverable goes to the government customer. You build a classification review checklist specific to the document types your program produces.
Module 9. OPSEC Program Implementation
OPSEC is required for cleared programs but rarely operationalized beyond a checklist. This module covers building a working OPSEC program: developing the Critical Information List for your specific program, conducting a simplified threat analysis using DCSA threat reporting, identifying countermeasures for each critical information item, and running the annual OPSEC survey. You produce the OPSEC plan document that satisfies the DD-254 requirement and can be updated each contract year.
Module 10. Self-Inspection Program and Corrective Action Closure
A self-inspection that surfaces findings and closes them before the DCSA visit is the operational goal. This module covers building the self-inspection schedule, writing the checklist from DCSA's own inspection criteria, documenting findings with root cause rather than symptom, building corrective action plans that close the actual gap, and tracking closure through to verification. You end with a self-inspection package that shows DCSA a functioning corrective action cycle, not a list of open items.
Module 11. Technology Control Plans and Foreign National Access
Programs with export-controlled technology carry a second compliance layer alongside the NISPOM: ITAR and EAR access controls for foreign national employees and visitors. This module covers the Technology Control Plan format, the review process for foreign national access requests, the coordination between program security and the facility export compliance officer, and the documentation required when a foreign national accesses a controlled space or technology. Practical templates for the TCP and the FN access log.
Module 12. Program Security Documentation Standards and Close-Out
A security program that only the current security manager understands is a program vulnerability. This module covers building documentation standards that allow a deputy, successor, or inspector to understand the program's security posture from the files alone: the security manager desk reference, the record retention schedule, the key document index, and the close-out procedures when a program ends. You also build the onboarding package for your own replacement, which is the ultimate test of your documentation quality.
How this addresses your situation
Specific modules that map to what you said you are dealing with.
Modules 5 and 10 directly address the recurring self-inspection finding pattern: ITP governance gaps that persist because the corrective action closes the symptom, not the operational root cause.
Modules 4, 6, and 7 address personnel security administration burden: the cleared employee lifecycle, CE administrative response, and incident reporting all generate time-sensitive documentation obligations.
Modules 1, 2, and 8 address the classification management chain from DD-254 requirements through derivative classification on program deliverables.
Modules 3, 9, 11, and 12 address the four physical and operational security domains that DCSA inspects as a package, not individually.
Who it is for
This course is for industrial security managers, program security officers, and FSO-equivalents at cleared defense contractors managing sensitive or compartmented programs. You hold the clearances, you know the regulations, and you are personally accountable when the DCSA facility review surfaces a finding. You need the operational scaffolding that turns compliance knowledge into a program that runs.
Who this is NOT for. Not for early-career security personnel seeking regulatory overview. Not for HR or compliance generalists without cleared program context. Not for organizations without an active facility clearance and DD-254-driven program.
How it arrives
Text-based course in the Art of Service learning environment, plus downloadable templates and worked examples for every module, plus the hand-built implementation playbook delivered alongside course access.
Time investment. Designed for working security managers: each module is structured for a focused 45-60 minute read with the associated template open alongside it. Full course completion in 8-12 hours across two to three weeks of active program implementation.
FAQ
Does this apply to SAP programs or only collateral TS/SCI?
The core operational framework applies across collateral, SCI, and SAP environments. SAP-specific controls including program access approval processes, co-use agreements, and special handling requirements are noted where they diverge from the collateral baseline, and the implementation playbook includes a SAP overlay section.
Is this specific to a particular contractor or program type?
The course is built for cleared defense contractors operating under DD-254-driven programs. The examples use naval and intelligence community program contexts but the operational framework applies to any classified program under a DCSA-adjudicated facility clearance.
What if my facility already has most of this in place?
The self-inspection and ITP governance modules are the ones most cleared programs find immediately actionable regardless of how mature the rest of the program is. The implementation playbook includes a gap assessment framework that identifies which operational elements are missing from your current program, so you can focus course time where the actual gaps are.
