Coffee & Conversation with David Cattler

On Wednesday, August 14, INSA hosted a virtual Coffee and Conversation with David Cattler, Director, Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA). In a moderated discussion with INSA President Suzanne Wilson Heckenberg, Mr. Cattler shared some of his top agency priorities. 

Recording courtesy of series sponsor, SIMS Software!

Mr. Cattler began by discussing how his previous experience at NATO and in the intelligence community shaped his leadership perspective when he assumed leadership of DCSA this past March. He recognized the great work of his predecessors at the now 5-year-old agency, and emphasized his commitment to “take DCSA to the next level.”

He outlined his goals for leading the nation's largest purpose-built security services agency, noting his commitment to "make DCSA recognized as and sought after as your preferred partner, whether you are in government or in the private sector. We are here, on the same team as you, to help you succeed...to wrap security around what you are trying to do for the common good."

Mr. Cattler highlighted that 95% of the federal government relies on DCSA for background investigations and adjudications. "DCSA is in the trust business. Can we [Federal Government] trust you from the beginning, and can we trust you over time?" He noted that DCSA is continuously expanding its investigations of people, facilities, and systems. Notably, earlier this week, DCSA soft-launched the onboarding of the non-sensitive public trust population into its Continous Vetting (CV) program.

Mr. Cattler also acknowledged the "unacceptable delays" with the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS), and stressed that new partnerships will help bring the program where it needs to be, stating, "It will be better. It will be done." The session concluded with a lightning round where he discussed clearance reciprocity for contractors, the balance between using emerging technologies in the background investigations and vetting process while maintaining a trust-based system, information sharing to and encouraging students to visit the DCSA website to learn about their soon-to-open internship program.