The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) is an independent agency that works for Congress. The GAO watches over Congress, and investigates how the federal government spends taxpayers dollars. The Comptroller General of the United States is the leader of the GAO, and is appointed to a 15-year term by the U.S. President. The GAO wants to support Congress, while at the same time doing right by the citizens of the United States. They audit, investigate, perform analyses, issue legal decisions and report anything that the government is doing. This is one of their reports.

GAO-01-465 DOD Personnel: More Consistency Needed in Determining Eligibility for Top Secret Security Clearances

Security Clearance Manual is an indispensable guide for security clearance applicants, personnel security specialists and military recruiters. It provides detailed explanations of the investigative and adjudicative processes with step by step instructions for completing the security application form, tips on mitigating suitability issues and numerous case examples.