Pentagon to Scrutinize Foreign Ties of New Recruits: Report

The Pentagon is reportedly developing a plan to look at the “foreign ties” of recruits who have dual citizenship or foreign spouses, citing “terrorism and espionage fears.” The Washington Post reports the policy will look closely at the “foreign nexus” risks of new recruits, specifically scrutinizing anyone with ties to foreign family members, relatives with dual citizenship, and foreign contacts. Factors like foreign financial interests and living in the country “for less than the last five consecutive years” will also reportedly be under consideration. “One primary concern associated with qualifying for these positions relates to the potential counterintelligence or terrorism risks,” a memo obtained by the Post said. The “foreign nexus” screening, if implemented, will reportedly take days to complete–but could potentially take weeks in some cases. Defense officials told the paper the policy was undergoing legal reviews and changes could be made.