Which organization conducts periodic security reviews of contractor facilities as the CSO for the Department of Defense?

• A. Cognizant Security Office (CSO)
• B. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• C. Department of Energy (DOE)
• D. Department of Defense Inspector General (DOD IG)

Answer: (A)

The key idea is who oversees industrial security for DoD contractors and performs periodic reviews of their facilities. The Cognizant Security Office is the DoD’s designated entity for administering the National Industrial Security Program and overseeing contractor facilities. It conducts regular security reviews to ensure contractor programs meet required safeguards, properly handle classified information, and implement corrective actions when issues are found. Other agencies like DHS or DOE don’t handle DoD contractor facility oversight, and the DoD Inspector General focuses on internal DoD audits and investigations rather than the ongoing industrial security reviews of contractor facilities. Therefore, the Cognizant Security Office is the one that conducts these periodic reviews as the CSO for the Department of Defense.