(U) SEAD-4-Adjudicative-Guidelines.pdf

This document is the Security Executive Agent Directive 4, which establishes the National Security Adjudicative Guidelines effective June 8, 2017. The Directive provides unified adjudicative criteria for all executive branch agencies determining eligibility for access to classified information and sensitive positions. It applies to federal civilian and military personnel, contractors, consultants, licensees, certificate holders, grantees, and other covered individuals. The guidelines supersede all previously issued national security adjudicative criteria and must be adopted by all agencies no later than the effective date.

Appendix A contains thirteen adjudicative guidelines covering allegiance to the United States, foreign influence, foreign preference, sexual behavior, personal conduct, financial considerations, alcohol consumption, drug involvement and substance misuse, psychological conditions, criminal conduct, handling protected information, outside activities, and use of information technology. Each guideline identifies specific security concerns, disqualifying conditions, and mitigating factors that adjudicators must evaluate using a whole-person concept. Adjudications must be determined by trained personnel on a case-by-case basis, with any doubts resolved in favor of national security. Appendix B addresses Bond Amendment statutory restrictions prohibiting eligibility determinations for unlawful controlled substance users or addicts, with waiver and disqualification procedures for sensitive compartmented information, special access programs, or restricted data access. Appendix C defines four exception categories—Waiver, Condition, Deviation, and Out of Scope—for granting eligibility despite failure to meet full adjudicative standards.