Posted on 03/21/2002 11:09:38 AM PST by Stand Watch Listen
The Department of Defense is preparing to implement the most sweeping restrictions yet on foreign information technology (IT) workers. This planned policy—which will cover one-third of civilian federal employees—will ban non-U.S. citizens from a wide range of computer projects.The Departments of Justice and Treasury have instituted similar restrictions on non-citizens working in certain areas. Those steps were taken prior to last September’s attacks.
The DOD policy—slated for adoption within 60 to 90 days—extends restrictions on foreign nationals handling secret information to “sensitive but unclassified positions,” which include the growing number of contract workers who process paychecks, write software, track supplies and maintain e-mail systems.
Officials said the restrictions are needed to get a handle on the proliferation of foreign nationals who work on government computer systems, once considered an area of vulnerability. However, the plan has raised concerns about being shortsighted.
The United States faces serious shortages of professionals who can manage complex computer systems, databases and networks prevalent in government agencies. The high-tech industry relies heavily on Indian, Chinese and other Asian workers—a group that long has complained about being unfairly suspected of questionable loyalty to the U.S.
Some authorities say barring foreign nationals from certain computer projects opens the prospect that key jobs will go unfilled due to a lack of qualified personnel—a situation worsened by the relatively small number of U.S. students who pursue advanced technology degrees. Costs could also rise sharply as higher-paid U.S. citizens replace foreign workers.
Even Richard A. Clarke, top cyber-security advisor to President Bush, has expressed his own doubts about the restrictions. “Rather than worry about what country somebody was born in, we ought to focus on the design and the architecture of our information systems,” he said. But Clarke does favor the use of background checks, recorders that track the keystrokes by programmers and stricter rules on individuals handling classified data.
Two years ago, the General Accounting Office studied the use of foreign contractors by federal agencies working to fix year 2000 software problems. It found foreign nationals working on 85 contracts for “mission-critical” software. Several of the agencies investigated exercised little control over contractors’ work.
For example, the Navy sent software or data associated with 36 mission-critical systems to a foreign-owned contractor yet “could not readily determine how the code and data were protected during and after transit to the contractor facility,” the GAO report said. “In many instances, the [Defense Department] was not aware when some programming changes were being done by a contractor who used foreign nationals,” said David L. McClure, who led the GAO study.
Lapses were found in the departments of Energy, Agriculture and State, as well as NASA and other agencies. None of those departments is now considering new restrictions in the use of foreign nationals, although some require their regular employees to be U.S. citizens.
DOD previously had been developing a system of security restrictions for foreign nationals who were working on unclassified computer operations, but the events on Sept. 11 prompted the plans for more restrictive measures. Pete Nelson, the Defense Department’s deputy director for personnel security, said no details would be made public until the policy becomes final.
Right now, hordes of native-born American IT workers are unemployed or grossly-underemployed as a result of the implosion of the "dot-bombs." The fastest way to create one job for one downsized native-born IT worker is for Washington to outlaw aliens working in IT.
Aside from the job-competition issue, there is also a national security issue here. With Washington ranting so much about fear of "information warfare" crippling the U.S. from abroad, how do you think the hostile programmers are learning how the IT infrastructure of U.S. power utilities, phone systems, etc. works? By working in them!
IMMIGRATION resource library - with public-health facts of immigration!
For the great master to error like this is....its simply unthinkable. What next? Will Lazamataz or Texaggie79 go to News only?
LOL
Will Lazamataz or Texaggie79 go to News only?
Neaaahhhhhhh..... better chance of the President vetoing the CFR. ;-)
Absolute hogwash! There are many tons of unemployed and under-employed IT professionals (who are citizens) who can perform these tasks, some who already have the training and/or experience which most of these immigrants do not really have.
The only problem is that IT management and Human Resources management in government and private industry is predominantly liberal, and will go to great lengths to NOT hire American citizens regardless of their qualifications. Hint: Americans who study Computer Science, Engineering, and Business tend to be, or become, more conservative politically, than in those other degree programs.
Oh, but how do you feel about that technical diagram or gizmo? And "interfacing" sounds so warm and fuzzy.
When that question is answered honestly, the war will probably long be over for most of us.
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