Selected Reports
PERSEREC has completed a variety of research projects that have benefited Defense security programs in terms of improving policy and practical procedures, enhancing efficiency, fairness, and due process in the personnel security system.
The following are a few examples of both Technical and Management Reports that have been published.
For additional Technical Reports, please visit the Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC) website.
For additional Management Reports, please contact us directly at perserec@mail.mil.
PERSEREC-TR-PA-23-03 (DPAC-2023-324) October 2023
Preventing Targeted Violence at your Installation Evaluation Plan
PERSEREC-RN-23-04 (DPAC-2023-322) November 2023
Development of a Local-Level Targeted Violence Prevention Program Plan and Evaluation Plan
PERSEREC-RN-21-09 (OPA Report No. 2021-051) April 2022
Engaging with Human Resources Professionals – A Workshop to Increase Collaboration
PERSEREC-TR-24-01 (DPAC- 2024-003) January 2024
Resources Exist, Asking Can Help (REACH) Field Test with Geographically Isolated Service Members
PERSEREC-PA-23-04 (DPAC-2023-295) November 2023
Data Analysis Workbook for the Insider Threat Community: A Collaborative Workbook
PERSEREC-RN-23-05 (DPAC-2023-294) November 2023
Developing a Data Analysis Plan for the Insider Threat Community
PERSEREC-PA-22-33 (OPA Report No. 2022-085) September 2022
The Threat Lab Professional Development Unit (PDU) Guide
PERSEREC-RN-21-08 (OPA Report No. 2021-050) July 2022
Mitigating Toxic Leadership
PERSEREC-RN-21-02 (OPA Report No. 2021-040) July 2023
The Dark Triad: Considerations in Hiring, Employment, and Termination
PERSEREC-PA-23-01 (OPA Report No. 2023-126) May 2023
Preventing Targeted Violent Attacks: Best Practices for Bystander
Intervention
PERSEREC-PA-21-31, OPA Report No. 2021-083 April 2023
Insider Threat: Case Study Card Game
PERSEREC-TR-23-01 (OPA Report No 2023-048) March 2023
An Examination of Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Disparities in DON's Personnel
Security Program
PERSEREC-RN-21-19 (OPA Report No. 2021-128) February 2023
Increasing Workforce Commitment and Loyalty in the 21st Century
PERSEREC-PA-21-38 (OPA Report No. 2021-127) February 2023
21st Century Manager's Field Guide to Employee Loyalty: Guidebook & Employee
Career Stage Cards
PERSEREC-PA-21-16 (OPA Report No. 2021-068) January 2022
Structured Professional Judgment Tools: A Reference Guide
PERSEREC-RN-22-05 (OPA Report No. 2022-201) September 2022
Results of the Initial Stakeholder Test of the eInterview Mobile App Prototype
PERSEREC-RN-22-01 (OPA Report No. 2022-214) October 2022
Compatibility Assessment and Prediction of Misconduct: A Review of the Academic Research Literature
PERSEREC-PA-22-17 (OPA Report No. 2022-177) October 2022
Ensuring Fairness and Enhancing the Protection of Privacy in Counter-Insider Threat Programs: Resources and Reflection Activities
PERSEREC-RN-21-13 (OPA Report No. 2021-089) July 2022
Teaching Organizational Risk Prevention and Mitigation Using Problem-Based Learning
PERSEREC-PA-21-35 (OPA Report No. 2021-090) September 2022
Insider Threat Prevention and Mitigation - A Problem-Based Learning Experience for Organizational
PERSEREC-PA-22-16 (OPA Report No. 2022-175) September 2022
Digital Discernment Graphic Novel
PERSEREC-PA-21-13 (OPA Report No. 2021-063) September 2022
Counter-Insider Threat (C-InT) Analyst Professionalization Road Map
PERSEREC-PA-22-12 (OPA Report No. 2022-123) September 2022
Counter-Insider Threat Professionalization Road Map Video
PERSEREC-PA-21-14 (OPA Report No. 2021-064) September 2022
Fundamental Skills for the Counter-Insider Threat (C-InT) Analyst
PERSEREC-PA-22-15 (OPA Report No. 2022-176) September 2022
Overview of the Structured Professional Judgment Tools (SPJ) Reference Guide Video
PERSEREC-RN-21-07 (OPA Report No. 2021-043) August 2022
Misinformation in the Purple Ridge Mountains: A Navigate Your Fate Story
(Report)
PERSEREC-PA-21-08 (OPA-2021-044) August 2022
Misinformation in the Purple Ridge Mountains: A Navigate Your Fate Story
(Novella)
PERSEREC- PA-20-01 (OPA Report No. 2021-035) November 2021
Resources Exist, Asking Can Help-Spouse (REACH-Spouse)
PERSEREC-RN-21-12 (OPA-2021-067) January 2022
Structured Professional Judgment Tools
PERSEREC-RN-21-14 (OPA Report No. 2022-087) February 2022
Deepfakes and Unintentional Insider Threats
PERSEREC-PA-21-36 (OPA Report No. 2022-088) February 2022
Deepfakes – Prepare for the Next Challenge
PERSEREC-PA-21-41 (OPA Report No 2021-123) September 2021
Best Practices for K-12 Public School Security Policy
PERSEREC-RN-21-01 (OPA Report No. 2021-038) June 2021
"Maybe It's Me"—A Visual Campaign To Encourage Self-Awareness & Self-Improvement in the Workforce
PERSEREC-RN-20-08 (OPA Report No. 2020-107) November 2020
Building a Supervisor Guide to Concerning Conduct
PERSEREC-TR-20-02 (OPA Report No. 2020-105) November 2020
Shifting the Mindset on Help Seeking in the Military: REACH Field Test Results
PERSEREC-RN-20-09 (PERSEREC-RN-20-09, OPA Report No. 2020-099) October 2020
Structured Professional Judgment Tools
PERSEREC-PA-20-01 (OPA Report No. 2020-060) April 2020
Dangerous Disclosure Graphic Novel
PERSEREC-RN-20-01 (OPA Report No. 2020-047) March 2020
The PAR Capabilities and the Convergence of Workplace Violence Prevention, Counter-Insider Threat, and Personnel Vetting Policies in DoD
PERSEREC-TR-19-07 (OPA Report No. 2020-002) December 2019
A Personnel Security Training Program for Clinicians: Phase III
PERSEREC-TR-19-06 (OPA-2019-079) November 2019
Personnel Security Underreporting: Establishing Rates and Estimating the Problem
PERSEREC-TR-19-05 (OPA Report No. 2019-067) October 2019
An Evaluation of the Utility of Expanding Psychological Screening to Prevent Insider Attacks
PERSEREC-RN-19-03 (OPA Report No. 2019-056, Threat Lab Report No. 2019-003) October 2019
On the Right Track: Worker-on-Worker Violence Prevention
PERSEREC-TR-19-03 (OPA Report No. 2019-033) June 2019
Enhancing Supervisor Reporting of Behaviors of Concern
PERSEREC-TR-19-04 (OPA Report No. 2019-030) May 2019
Improving Automated Clean Case Screening: Tier 3 eAdjudication Business Rule Refinement
PERSEREC-TR-19-02 (OPA-2019-021) March 2019
The Resource Exfiltration Project: Findings from DoD Cases, 1985-2017
PERSEREC-TR-19-01 (OPA-2019-016) February 2019
A Personnel Security-Training Program for Clinicians: Phase II
PERSEREC-TR-18-18 (OPA-2019-007) January 2019
Military Leaders' Use of Behavioral Health Resources: Barriers to Care and Possible Solutions
PERSEREC-TR-18-17 (OPA-2018-087) December 2018
Suicide-Related Incident Reporting in DoD's Personnel Security Program
PERSEREC-TR-18-16 (OPA-2018-082) October 2018
A Strategic Plan to Leverage the Social & Behavioral Sciences to Counter the Insider Threat
PERSEREC-TR-18-10 (OPA-2018-048) July 2018
Mental Health and Help-Seeking in the U.S. Military: Survey and Focus Group Findings
PERSEREC-TR-18-14 (OPA-2018-065) August 2018
Modeling Insider Threat From the Inside and Outside: Individual and Environmental Factors Examined Using Event History Analysis
PERSEREC-TR-18-13 (OPA-2018-056) July 2018
A Personnel Security Training Program for Clinicians: Phase I
PERSEREC-MR-18-03, OPA-2018-037 April 2018
2016 RADAR Adjudication Quality Evaluation
TR 18-06 April 2018
Tier 1 and Tier 3 eAdjudication Business Rule Validation
TR 18-04 February 2018
Postvention in the U.S. Military: Survey of Survivors of Suicide Loss from 2010-2014
TR 17-10 August 2017
The Expanding Spectrum of Espionage by Americans, 1947 – 2015
TR 17-07 June 2017
Improving Mental Health Reporting Practices in Between Investigations
MR 17-06 September 2017
2015 RADAR Adjudication Quality Evaluation
TR 16-03 June 2016
Early Warning Signs of Suicide in Service Members Who Engage in Unauthorized Acts of Violence
TR 16-01 May 2016
Suicide and Violent Cognitions, Emotions, and Behaviors in U.S. Military Personnel
TR 15-01 March 2015
A Relevant Risk Approach to Mental Health Inquiries in Question 21 of the Questionnaire for National Security Positions (SF-86)
TR 13-06 November 2013
The Evolution of the Automated Continuous Evaluation System(ACES) for Personnel Security
TR 13-05 July 2013
Baseline Suitability Analysis
TR 11-05 September 2011
Identifying Personality Disorders that are Security Risks: Field Test ResultsTR 11-04 September 2011
The Evolution of Adjudicative Guidelines in the Department of DefenseTR 11-03 July 2011
Cyberculture and Personnel Security: Report II — Ethnographic Analysis of Second Life (
Companion Report I)
TR 11-01 May 2011
Cyberculture and Personnel Security: Report I — Orientation, Concerns, and Needs (
Companion Report II)
PP 11-02 January 2011
Developing a Cybervetting Strategy for Law EnforcementMR 10-02 September 2010
Measuring Personnel Security Investigation Quality: A Review of Two ApproachesTR 10-01 May 2010
Using Hand-Held Computers When Conducting National Security Background Interviews: Utility Test ResultsTR 09-02 August 2009
Insider Risk Evaluation and AuditMR 09-01 June 2009
DoD Personnel Security Program Performance MeasuresTR 08-10 December 2008
Allegiance in a Time of GlobalizationTR 08-05 March 2008
Changes in Espionage by Americans: 1947-2007TR 07-04 May 2007
Adjudication Decision Support (ADS) System Automated Approval Estimates for NACLC InvestigationsTR 07-01 January 2007
Predicting Industry Personnel Security Investigation RequirementsTR 06-01 August 2006
Development and Application of Skill Standards for Security PractitionersMR 06-02 March 2006
Summary and Explanation of Changes to the Adjudicative Guidelines Approved by the President December 29, 2005TR 05-13 September 2005
Ten Tales of Betrayal: The Threat to Corporate Infrastructures by Information Technology Insiders Analysis and ObservationsTR 05-11 May 2005
Implementation of a Two-Phase SSBI-PR at DSS: An Evaluation with RecommendationsTR 05-10 May 2005
Technological, Social, and Economic Trends That Are Increasing U.S. Vulnerability to Insider Espionage TR 05-06 May 2005
Reporting of Counterintelligence and Security Indicators by Supervisors and CoworkersMR 05-05 April 2005
Security Background Investigations and Clearance Procedures of the Federal GovernmentTR 05-08 April 2005
Screening for Potential Terrorists in the Enlisted Military Accessions Process TR 04-01 January 2004
Preferences and Priorities for Professional Development in the Security Workforce: A Report of the Professional Development SurveyTR 02-03 January 2003
Improving Supervisor and Coworker Reporting of Information of Security ConcernTR 02-05 July 2002
Espionage Against the United States by American Citizens 1947–2001TR 02-02 June 2002
Final Report on DSS Test of Phased ReinvestigationMR 01-02 January 2002
Cleared DoD Employees At Risk―Report 1: Policy Options for Removing Barriers to Seeking Help TR 01-04 January 2002
Cleared DoD Employees At Risk―Report 2: A Study of Barriers to Seeking HelpMR 01-04 October 2001
Public Opinion of Selected National Security Issues: 1994–2000TR 01-05 August 2001
SSBI-PR Source Yield: An Examination of Sources Contacted During the SSBI-PRTR 00-02 May 2000
Adjudicative Guidelines and Investigative Standards in the Department of DefenseTR 99-02 August 1999
Trends in Public Attitudes Towards Government Security ProgramsTR 96-01 March 1996
SSBI Source Yield: An Examination of Sources Contacted During the SSBITR 95-02 February 1995
Appeal Board and Personal Appearance Procedures for Adverse Personnel Security Determinations in the Department of DefenseTR 94-04 September 1994
Military Applicant Security Screening (MASS): Systems Development and Evaluation The purpose of this evaluation is to determine the extent to which Program Plan activities are implemented and achieve their intended outcomes. Evaluation is important to determine what Program Plan activities work well, what could be improved, and whether the Program Plan would be appropriate to replicate at other installations. Evaluation data will inform improvements and decisions about future implementation, dissemination, and scale up of Program Plan activities. The evaluation will also provide data to report progress towards preventing targeted violence at an installation to the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Military Personnel Policy and the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence & Security. This Evaluation Plan includes information about the evaluation process, evaluation stakeholders and roles, approvals, evaluability assessment, the Program Plan and logic model, the evaluation purpose and approach, evaluation questions, risk and protective factors that are expected to be impacted by Program Plan activities, the impact of Program Plan activities on targeted violence indicators, and the evaluation timeline. Risk factors are characteristics or behaviors that contribute to an individual's risk of targeted violence perpetration, and protective factors are characteristics or behaviors that lower an individual's risk of targeted violence perpetration. The Program Plan and this Evaluation Plan focus primarily on risk and protective factors related to individual Service members and attitudes, beliefs, and intentions.
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To address targeted violence at military installations, the Defense Personnel and Security Research Center (PERSEREC) developed a targeted violence prevention program plan and corresponding evaluation plan. The program plan uses existing installation resources (e.g., clinicians, chaplains, financial staff, and social workers) and resources in the local civilian community. It allows installations to adapt or add activities to existing local procedures and practices. The evaluation plan guides the installation as it assesses the program plan's implementation and effectiveness. This research note describes the development of the program plan and corresponding evaluation plan.
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Risk management requires strong, collaborative, and trusting relationships across many organizational functions, especially between Insider Threat (InT) and Human Resources (HR) professionals. This research note describes development of a workshop, "Engaging with HR Professionals," designed to build this relationship through scenario-based learning. Together, InT Program personnel and HR professionals work through complicated inquiries that highlight the importance of collaboration for individual and organizational well-being.
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Despite the range of resources available to support Service members who encounter life stressors, approximately 50%–80% of military personnel who need mental health support, particularly those at risk for suicide, do not utilize resources. In FY21, the Defense Personnel and Security Research Center, a division of the Defense Personnel Analytics Center, developed a web-based Resources Exist, Asking Can Help (REACH) facilitator training designed to assist with REACH dissemination. REACH is an upstream suicide risk intervention that aims to normalize help-seeking among Service members by reducing barriers to care and increasing knowledge of resources. This field test used a randomized evaluation design to assess the effectiveness of the web-based REACH facilitator training relative to the existing instructor-led facilitator training. We also used a one-group pretest-posttest design to evaluate the effectiveness of REACH for reducing barriers to care, increasing knowledge of resources, and increasing resource utilization among geographically isolated Service members, who have limited access to services. Report recommendations address how to implement REACH more broadly across the total military force.
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Data analysis, management, and governance are critical elements of insider threat (InT) programs. To strengthen the InT community's ability to improve their prevention and response efforts, the Threat Lab developed the Data Analysis Plan for the Insider Threat Community: A Collaborative Workbook, an instructional guide for use by InT analysts.
This introductory Workbook is comprised of two main sections and is designed to:
As data accumulates as a part of U.S. Government Insider Threat (InT) initiatives, fundamental knowledge in research design and statistical principles, along with data governance and analytical capabilities, are required to effectively manage and analyze such data. At the programmatic level, data analysis can be used to evaluate the capabilities, effectiveness, feasibility, and costs of proposed and alternative programs under consideration. To strengthen the InT community's ability to identify and improve prevention and response efforts, the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence and Security funded the Defense Personnel and Security Research Center's Threat Lab to develop a data and analysis Workbook for use by the InT community. The purpose of this Research Note is to document the workbook development process.
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