The Cognizant Security Office (CSO) administers the National Industrial Security Program and provides security guidance, oversight, and policy clarifications.

The Cognizant Security Office (CSO) administers the National Industrial Security Program and provides security guidance, oversight, and policy clarifications.

• A. Cognizant Security Office (CSO)
• B. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)
• C. Department of Energy (DOE)
• D. National Security Agency (NSA)

Answer: (A)

The essential idea is who is responsible for running the National Industrial Security Program within a federal agency and for providing security guidance and policy clarifications to contractors. The Cognizant Security Office is the unit inside an agency that administers the NISP for that agency’s programs. It handles implementing the program’s requirements, guiding contractors on how to protect classified information, coordinating oversight, and issuing policy clarifications as rules evolve. The other entities—Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, and National Security Agency—have different roles in broad national security, homeland security, energy security, and intelligence, but they are not the primary administrators of the NISP for industry partners.

The essential idea is who is responsible for running the National Industrial Security Program within a federal agency and for providing security guidance and policy clarifications to contractors. The Cognizant Security Office is the unit inside an agency that administers the NISP for that agency’s programs. It handles implementing the program’s requirements, guiding contractors on how to protect classified information, coordinating oversight, and issuing policy clarifications as rules evolve. The other entities—Department of Homeland Security, Department of Energy, and National Security Agency—have different roles in broad national security, homeland security, energy security, and intelligence, but they are not the primary administrators of the NISP for industry partners.