Which E.O. requires that the level of a covered individual's investigation be determined by the potential adverse effect the position could have on national security?

Which E.O. requires that the level of a covered individual's investigation be determined by the potential adverse effect the position could have on national security?

• A. E.O. 11050
• B. E.O. 10450
• C. E.O. 10150
• D. E.O. 10850

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is that the depth of a covered individual's background investigation is based on the risk the position poses to national security. In other words, how sensitive the job is determines how thorough the check must be. This concept is what the relevant executive order establishes: the level of investigation should match the potential adverse effect on national security if something goes wrong in that role. So, positions with access to classified information, sensitive duties, or significant influence over security outcomes require more extensive checks, while lower-risk roles warrant lighter inquiries. The goal is to allocate scrutiny proportional to security risk, ensuring the most sensitive positions are examined most carefully. Other executive orders in the set focus on different aspects of security—such as general safeguarding of classified information or broader personnel security requirements—but they don’t tie investigation depth to the position’s potential impact on national security in the same explicit, risk-based way.

The main idea here is that the depth of a covered individual's background investigation is based on the risk the position poses to national security. In other words, how sensitive the job is determines how thorough the check must be.

This concept is what the relevant executive order establishes: the level of investigation should match the potential adverse effect on national security if something goes wrong in that role. So, positions with access to classified information, sensitive duties, or significant influence over security outcomes require more extensive checks, while lower-risk roles warrant lighter inquiries. The goal is to allocate scrutiny proportional to security risk, ensuring the most sensitive positions are examined most carefully.

Other executive orders in the set focus on different aspects of security—such as general safeguarding of classified information or broader personnel security requirements—but they don’t tie investigation depth to the position’s potential impact on national security in the same explicit, risk-based way.