FAS – “The number of persons holding security clearances for access to classified information decreased by more than 635,000 (or 12.3 percent) last year, according to a new report to Congress from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.  It was the first reported drop in the total security-cleared population since the government began systematically collecting statistics on security clearances in 2010.

From the report: “The Intelligence Authorization Act (IAA) for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 requires the President to submit an annual Report on Security Clearance Determinations to Congress. The IAA directs this report to include the number of United States Government (USG) employees who held a security clearance at each level as of October 1 of the preceding year and the number of USG employees who were approved for a security clearance at each level during the preceding fiscal year. Similar data pertaining to USG contractors is also required. Also, for each element of the Intelligence Community (IC), in-depth security clearance timeliness determination metrics are required. In response to these IAA requirements, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has prepared this 2014 Report on Security Clearance Determinations consistent with the security clearance data requirements as outlined by the categories listed below…”