Top-secret clearance grants individuals access to classified national security information marked as such. This is the most restrictive level of clearance and unauthorized disclosure can cause exceptionally grave damage to national security.
흥신소Having this level of clearance can also make individuals less likely to be laid off during budget cuts or downsizing. This extra job security can lead to significant salary boosts.
Background Investigation
The vetting process can take years, and involves the investigation of your whole life. Investigators will look at your professional and personal relationships, credit checks, financial problems, criminal history, associations, education, military service, dates of residence, etc. You will be interviewed, and neighbors and acquaintances will be contacted as well. The investigation can go back ten years or more. You may be asked to provide fingerprints and a security questionaire (SF86) that can contain over 130 pages of questions and releases, depending on the position for which you are applying.
Investigators will determine whether you are suitable for a position that requires national security clearance or access to classified information. The investigations fall into two categories-suitability investigations and background investigations. Suitability investigations are conducted to evaluate the suitability of federal employees and contractors for positions that involve the protection of classified information or the oversight of sensitive information systems. Background investigations are the processes used to determine an individual’s eligibility for a clearance, and are used for Top Secret, Secret, and higher level clearances as well as Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
If you have previously held a Secret or higher clearance with another agency, you can get a “reciprocity” on your new clearance. However, the new investigation will still be in-scope and you will have to meet all of the requirements of the new position. The Defense Department’s Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DSCSA) conducts the investigations, but some other federal agencies also have their own internal investigators.
Credit and Criminal History Checks
The SSBI is a type of United States security clearance investigation and typically applies to people who need Top Secret clearance or access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI). It is one of the most intensive and extensive background investigations. The SSBI involves an extensive national check of federal and local agencies, as well as checks with relatives, and interviews with people who know the subject both personally and professionally. It also includes a comprehensive spouse or cohabitant check to determine allegiance, associations and other issues that might impact the individual’s ability to protect classified information.
A Tier 5 investigation is required for people who need a Top Secret clearance, DOE “Q” access authorization and some other critical sensitive positions. This investigation replaced the SSBI for these roles and positions in October 2016. It uses the same investigative techniques as the ARC and Letter Inquiries, but it includes an interview with the subject. The investigator compiles a report and turns it in to an adjudicator who decides whether or not to grant the clearance.
The most common reason for clearance denials or revocation is financial considerations, or Guideline F of the National Security Adjudicative Guidelines. This is followed by Guideline E, personal conduct, and then criminal records. If you are denied a clearance, you will have the opportunity to respond to a Statement of Reasons (SOR) and to appeal the decision.
Interviews
Top Secret clearance opens the door to national security-related jobs in government agencies, defense contractors, intelligence organizations and cybersecurity firms. However, the suitability investigation process can be slow and frustrating. Investigators review your entire life history, associations, finances, personal habits and criminal record.
Once you’ve filled out the standard security clearance form, known as the SF-86 or “Questionnaire for National Security Positions,” you will have an interview with the investigator assigned to your case. It’s important to be prepared for this interview and to tell the truth. Providing false information can result in the denial of your clearance or, worse yet, the loss of the job for which you were hired.
The interviews are a critical component of the investigation, as they allow investigators to assess your character, reliability, patriotism and trustworthiness. The vetting process is done on a case-by-case basis, so a few minor mistakes won’t disqualify you from a clearance, but it would be a red flag to have extensive drug abuse or serious gambling problems, for example.
The final step in the clearance process is to receive a Statement of Reasons (SOR). This is a document that outlines the reason your clearance was granted, denied or revoked. You have the right to request a copy of this document and to appeal the decision. It is not uncommon for this process to take up to a year from when you complete the SF-86.
Verification of Residence
Getting a security clearance takes months of paperwork and interviews. The paperwork, known as Standard Form 86 (SF-86) includes personal identifying information; employment and education history; character references; foreign connections and travel; family and financial relationships; drug and alcohol use; criminal convictions and civil judgments; financial delinquencies, such as debt collection liens and repossessions; and mental health issues. The SF-86 can be more than 100 pages long.
The government will interview your coworkers, neighbors and friends, as well as those who know you from school or church, or from past neighborhoods or jobs. They will look at your social media accounts, check for shady photos and videos, and see whether you have been linked to organizations that promote the overthrow of the United States or advocate violence against its citizens. The government will also review your financial records, including bankruptcies and liens, as well as your assets and debts.
If the adjudicator finds that you have a reason to suspect your allegiance to the United States, the clearance will be denied or “terminated” — although revocation can take months. The vetting process is not designed to catch everybody who does something wrong, but rather those who do serious or repeated wrong things that call into question their reliability and trustworthiness. The Defense Counterintelligence Security Agency (DCSA) oversees 95% of all federal clearance investigations, but other agencies may handle their own vetting.