Some individuals must be adjudicated for both national security and suitability. Which statement is true?

• A. Some individuals must be adjudicated for both national security and suitability
• B. No one is adjudicated for both
• C. Only fitness determinations can substitute
• D. HSPD-12 adjudications cover both

Answer: (A)

National security and suitability involve distinct but sometimes overlapping standards. Some individuals must be adjudicated for both because a person can raise concerns about access to classified information and about their overall reliability or fitness for a position. When factors touch both realms—for example, significant foreign influence or allegiance concerns combined with serious personal misconduct or financial irresponsibility—adjudicators review both the security implications and the person’s suitability to hold a position. This dual review ensures protection of classified information and assurance that the individual is trustworthy and reliable in a duties context. Substituting fitness determinations for national security concerns isn’t appropriate, since NS adjudications address access to classified material whereas suitability concerns address conduct and fitness for employment. HSPD-12 deals with identity credentials, not the combined NS and suitability adjudications. So, some individuals indeed must be adjudicated for both national security and suitability.