Second, empower the hybrid workforce. As Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines has noted, diversity is fundamental to national security. The IC has access to less than 1% of the U.S. workforce—and this percentage is in jeopardy of contracting based on growth in the private sector. Meanwhile, the COVID-19 pandemic has shifted employee expectations toward remote work. To scale operations, solidify resilience, and gain timely access to cutting-edge skills, organizations need to retain employees that prefer flexible working arrangements while gaining a broader pool of talent.
To this end, many intelligence leaders have been integrating some form of a hybrid working model that enables professionals of varying clearance levels to work in a mix of secure compartmented information facilities (SCIF) and unclassified spaces. This gives the IC the opportunity to employ the skills of professionals waiting to be fully cleared as well as top software and engineering talent that can take on unclassified work for a “develop low side, deploy high side” approach. Immersing these experts in rewarding work during the months they’re waiting to be cleared helps them bond with the mission—increasing the chance of retention during this phase while giving them a taste of opportunities beyond.
Successful IC pilots are enabling advances in areas including AI, zero trust security, and specialized engineering. These projects benefit from a customized strategy: Each organization evaluates what work is conducive to multiclass operations, and where appropriate, shapes contracts to permit such an approach.
One strategy we recommend is transitioning selected initiatives to geographically distributed SCIFs—literally opening new doors for hybrid operations. This not only lowers risks by building a more dispersed workforce but also offers the chance to plug into innovation hubs such as Austin, Seattle, and Boston. This means:
- Employees can begin work at remote locations across the country and then, once cleared, commute to local SCIFs for leading-edge classified work.
- Leaders can experiment with various models to see which mix of remote and compartmented work is most effective—with access to classified experts in varied regions all the while.
- Operations can be rapidly scaled, strengthening resilience.
