The Pentagon will soon take over security checks for the federal government, according to sources who spoke with The Associated Press.

Defense Department officials said that over the next three years it will be responsible for all background investigations for military and civilian employees and contractors, the AP reported.

A source also told the AP that the White House will also give the Pentagon authority to carry out security checks for almost all government agencies.

The change aims to fix the dense backlog of people waiting for clearance and the weak points of the security system that were exposed when a Navy contractor killed a dozen people at Washington’s Navy Yard in 2013.

The contractor had kept his security clearance despite concerns about his mental health and an unreviewed arrest.

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