Cost to Protect Secrecy

According to the New York Times, the federal government has spent over eleven billion dollars in 2011 to protect its secrets.[1]  This does not include the costs incurred by the CIA, NSA and other intelligence organizations. After adding the additional agencies, the total costs for protecting secrecy may exceed $13 billion.

This costs of does not involve only about $3.5 billion for IT security but also the expense for investigation and the granting of clearances, security training and the expense for security personnel.

SUMMARY
The cost of protecting the secrecy of government operations has risen at a steep rate. The administrative complexity of tracking security clearances from investigation to authorization has contributed to the steadily rising costs. Dozens of separate organizations are responsible and require standardization and speeding up.

[1]   Shane, S., Cost to Protect US Secrets, The New York Times, 7/3/2012, A11.