The acting head of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) promised lawmakers today that the agency will deliver a business operationalization schedule for the long-delayed National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) program by March or April.
Testifying before the House Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Government Operations, acting Director Justin Overbaugh said the forthcoming schedule is intended to address critical paths and risks for the NBIS program.
“We will, and we must get our hands around a detailed schedule that enables the agency itself to hold itself accountable and for our oversight partners to hold us accountable,” he said. “That is nonnegotiable. We will achieve that in the coming months.”
Since 2016, the Defense Department (DOD) – rebranded as the War Department by the Trump administration – has worked to develop NBIS to modernize personnel vetting across the federal government.
Originally expected in 2019, the program has faced repeated delays that have hindered deployment. It’s now delayed until fiscal year 2027. Estimated costs have grown from $2.4 billion to $4.6 billion.
Overbaugh told lawmakers the schedule has yet to be developed and will be informed by Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations and feedback from the Trusted Workforce Implementation Group. He did not provide further details.
GAO cites delays, rising costs
Alissa H. Czyz, director of defense capabilities and management at GAO, told lawmakers that without a reliable development schedule and sound cost estimate, the entire reform effort of NBIS is vulnerable.
Czyz acknowledged that after years of unreliable cost estimates, DCSA in 2025 developed a new cost estimate and revised its approach to scheduling. GAO reviewed the agency’s 2025 NBIS cost estimate and found it to be reliable because it substantially met the four characteristics of a reliable cost estimate.
“Now that estimate needs to be updated annually, and I advise the subcommittee to stay on top of DCSA, as we will, to ensure it is updated each year with actual costs. But they are better positioned now,” Czyz said.
However, she said, what remains missing is a reliable schedule.
“Without a reliable schedule, the program’s ability to meet milestones, including a goal to complete development in fiscal year 2027, could remain at risk,” she said.
Czyz also pointed to the absence of permanent leadership at DCSA.
“Strong and sustained leadership is critically important, especially with high-risk government programs like this one,” she said. “This is at a time when DCSA does not have a permanent director.”
No permanent leader
Lawmakers from both parties raised concerns that the Trump administration has not appointed a permanent, full-time DCSA director. Former Director David M. Cattler retired Sept. 30, 2025. Overbaugh has served as acting director since November 2025, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Rep. Kweisi Mfume, D-Md., the panel’s ranking member, called on the administration to “name a permanent DCSA director, and [provide] the plan for getting a qualified candidate into the position as soon as possible.”
Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, the subcommittee’s chairman, also urged action.
“We encourage swift action to put a new director in place, especially given the ongoing problems that NBIS has and the need to effectively place leadership in that role,” Sessions said.
Overbaugh said the DOD is searching for a new DCSA director with experience in both private sector technology and government service.