Periodic Reinvestigations And Continuous Vetting
A key aspect of Trusted Workforce 2.0 reforms is the move from episodic reinvestigations of security clearance eligibility to a continuous vetting model. There are currently approximately 2.2 million individuals enrolled in the Department of Defense continuous vetting program. As the National Background Investigation System continues to move forward and the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency overhauls the IT that underpins the personnel security program, we can expect enrollment in the governments continuous vetting system to meet full enrollment. Currently, requirements for periodic reinvestigations are still on the books, but with CV accomplishing the same thing, in the future clearance holders may want to establish their CV status before they leave a cleared job and look to jump into another.
The good news is that regardless of policy changes concerning CV and periodic reinvestigations, having held a clearance previously is still a major advantage, even if your prior clearance has expired. And with clearance processing times seeing significant improvement, it can now take just a matter of days or weeks to obtain an interim security clearance.
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Federal Employment Fitness Investigation
The requirements for a Fitness investigation are exactly the same as a Suitability investigation. The only difference is that Fitness investigations are conducted on new excepted service federal employees and these investigations can involve different adjudicative criteria and procedures than Suitability investigations. These investigations are also conduct on federal contractor personnel being considered for Public Trust positions or PIV cards required by HSPD-12. Within DoD a PIV is called a Common Access Card .
Facility Security Clearances
Position Sensitivity And Risk
Most federal jobs are assigned sensitivity and risk levels, based on their responsibilities and duties. Sensitivity has to do with the positions potential impact on the national security of the United States. For example, a non-sensitive position has no impact on the national security. Risk has to do with a positions potential to damage the publics trust in the Federal Government.
A noncritical sensitive position has the potential to cause significant or serious damage to the national security.
A critical sensitive position has the potential to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security.
A special sensitive position security has the potential to cause inestimable damage to the national security.
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National Security Clearance History
After the United States entered into World War II, Britain changed its security classifications to match those of the U.S.. Previously, classifications had included the top classification “Most Secret”, but it soon became apparent that the United States did not fully understand the UK’s classifications, and classified information appeared in the U.S.’s press. This spearheaded the uniformity in classification between the United Kingdom and the United States. The terminology and levels of British security classifications have also changed from Positive Vetting and Enhanced Positive Vetting to SC, eSC, DV, eDV and STRAP.
What Are Background Checks And Security Clearances
If hired for a federal job, you must at least go through a basic background check to make sure youre reliable, trustworthy, and suitable for the job. The background check process starts after you accept a job offer.
The hiring agency will ask you for the necessary personal information to start the background investigation process. The amount of information youll need to give depends on the job.
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Jobs Requiring A Security Clearance
Who needs security clearance? Anyone who works in a job that requires access to classified information or restricted areas. These jobs usually fall into three categories: federal and military jobs, government contractor positions, and intelligence agency roles.
Specific jobs that may require security clearance include:
Cryptographer: Cryptographers use protocols to encrypt and decipher data. These senior-level cybersecurity experts may work in national security or for government contractors. They often perform risk assessments and cryptographic controls. Cryptographers usually need a bachelor’s degree or higher.
Security Analyst: Security analysts review and analyze network systems and organizational policies to help prevent data breaches. These professionals can work in international relations or security-oriented jobs for contractors or agencies. They need a bachelor’s degree and industry experience.
Counterintelligence Analyst: A counterintelligence analyst may conduct criminal investigations, counterterrorism support, or counterespionage work. These professionals generally work for the FBI or DOD. This job may require experience in investigations and counterintelligence policy research.
What To Expect When Getting A Security Clearance
The government will look at several factors and dive into your background to see how loyal you are to the United States. Theyll check on what foreign influences you might have, your integrity and honesty, whether youre mentally and psychologically stable, your criminal past, past drug use/misuse, and your financial background. Basically, every part of your life is up for scrutiny.
Youll begin the process by completing a lengthy questionnaire called Personnel Security Questionnaire .
The next phase depends on the level of clearance youre seeking and the position youre applying for. But one of the governments investigative departments will be investigating you. For the most secure positions, theyll be interviewing your neighbors, employers, friends, family, and even people from way back in your life. The lowest security level jobs will not have any associate interviews.
No matter what level of clearance youre seeking, you can expect to be interviewed. This is a part of the process for everyone. But some people will have more than one interview.
One thing to note the SF-86 is crucial. If you want to be approved and have it completed in the most expeditious manner possible, you need to be very detailed and honest. This is not a job application or a resume. Its certainly not the time to gloss over some things or exaggerate others. Any discrepancies between what you wrote in the SF-86 and the investigation can be cause for a denied or delayed application.
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How To Land A Cleared Job Without An Active Clearance
If you’re interested in a defense or intelligence job that requires a security clearance, but you don’t have one, there’s good news. It is possible to get hired without a clearance, provided the company is able and willing to sponsor you. There may be a contingent offer that is made, while you go through the initial clearance process. This means the start of employment may be contingent upon obtaining at least an interim clearance eligibility.
Of course, your chances of being hired increase if you have in-demand skills. Software developers, engineers, and those with proficiency in foreign languages, for example, are highly sought after and, therefore, are more likely to get hired for cleared jobs despite not having an active clearance. There are measures you can take to better your odds no matter what your skill set is.
“Understand the procedures,” advises Mike Hensley, Leidos Security Service Center Manager. “Know the security clearance process, and the potential restrictions hiring managers may have with candidates who dont have a clearance.”
As most cleared positions are direct work on a contract, many hiring managers dont have a capacity to place a new hire on overhead while waiting for the clearance process.
And what will you do in the meantime, prior to obtaining an active clearance? “Some programs have the ability for employees to perform unclassified work that still supports the contract,” explains Hensley.
Undergoing A Background Check
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Reasons You May Be Denied A Security Clearance
Besides a dubious background, there are other reasons why you may be denied a security clearance. These reasons include:
Missing Employment Information: Applicants should include all contracting work , unemployment durations, military service duty locations, and other forms of work. Missing financial information: Include any filed bankruptcy, financial obligations along with relevant account numbers, dates, amounts, and respective financial institutions that youre indebted to. Incomplete References: Whether youre employed or self-employed, you must provide contact details of the people that can verify this. References can be spouses, siblings, or former bosses. Discrepancies in date and place of birth information: Ensure you maintain consistency and accuracy in your date and place of birth submitted throughout the security clearance application process. Use the format of mm/dd/yyyy. Failure to submit release or certification forms: The investigator cannot proceed without a current release form thats signed, which can lead to immediate disqualification.To avoid this predicament, scan and attach the relevant forms in the Joint Personnel Adjudication System . Youll also need to submit the Fair Credit Reporting Disclosure and Authorization form.
What Is A Special Access Authorization
Access to classified national security information is based on an appropriate level of security clearance and a need-to-know. Need-to-know can be either a formal or an informal determination. All classified national security information exists within one of these two need-to-know domainsformal or informal. Information that exists within the domain of informal need-to-know determinations is referred to as collateral classified information. Information that requires a formal need-to-know determination exists within Special Access Programs , including Sensitive Compartmented Information and Restricted Data .
Acronyms such as ATOMAL, CNWDI, COMSEC, COSMIC, CRYPTO, NOFORN, ORCON, SAP, SCI, RD, SIOP-ESI, SPECAT, SIOP-ESI, etc., are not clearances. They are categories of classified information, some of which have extra need-to-know restrictions or require special access authorizations. For example, COSMIC stands for Control of Secret Material in an International Command. COSMIC Top Secret is the term used for NATO Top Secret Information. There are many such markings stamped or printed on classified material, but most are only acronyms denoting special administrative handling procedures.
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Will My Clearance Be Granted Faster Because I Previously Held A Security Clearance
No. A new application will need to be submitted and a completely new investigation will need to be conducted and adjudicated. If unfavorable information in a case was fully covered, and favorably adjudicated during the prior clearance processing, it could speed up the adjudication phase of a new clearance request.
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Jobs That Require A Security Clearance
Many federal agencies and federal contractors working with those agencies necessarily require their employees to hold security clearances in order to do their job.
The need for a security clearance is dictated by a necessity to handle sensitive or classified information rather than a specific job description.
Anyone having access to classified data requires clearance at or higher than the level at which the data they must handle is classified. For this reason, security clearances are required for a wide range of jobs, from senior management to janitorial. Positions that may require a security clearance include secretaries, security officers, librarians, system administrators, and computer-support personnel who have access to classified documents or systems.
The December 2017 United States Government Accountability Office Report to Congress states, As of October 1, 2015, the latest date for which data are available, approximately 4.2 million government and contractor employees, at nearly 80 executive branch agencies, were eligible to hold a security clearance.
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How Many Types Of Security Clearance Are There
The level of security clearance varies for high-risk, moderate-risk and low-risk positions. The security clearance is used to determine the trustworthiness and eligibility to hold a sensitive position or receive access to classified national security information.
The U.S. government has three types of security clearances given to different federal employees. These are known as Confidential Clearance, Secret Clearance and Top Secret Clearance.
Along with these, the Department of Defense also has a Special Access Program to prevent unauthorized disclosure of sensitive information.
The U.S. Department of State only grants security clearance to U.S. citizens. Lack of U.S. citizenship is an automatic disqualifier from the process.
However, foreign national employees might get restricted access to classified information in some cases.
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How Long Security Clearances Are In Effect
Security clearances are active only for the time an individual holds the original job for which the clearance was designated. A clearance holder may be reinvestigated at any time, but a formal review is required after five years for a Top Secret clearance, ten years for a Secret clearance, and fifteenyears for a Confidential clearance.
A clearance may be reactivated in certain cases without going through the entire investigative process again.
However, the break in employment must have lasted less than two years, and the original investigation cannot be more than five, ten, or fifteenyears old for the Top Secret, Secret, and Confidential categories, respectively.
S Of Security Clearance
Now that you have an idea of what will happen during the security clearance review, these are the steps according to the U.S. Department of State.
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You receive an offer of employment that is conditionally related to your completion and acceptance for clearance. You will get a Questionnaire for National Security Positions, a Questionnaire for Non-Sensitive Positions, or the Questionnaire for Public Trust positions, and other forms.
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The hiring office submits the information theyve collected, which is your security package, to the Diplomatic Security Service for review.
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DSS reviews the information, opens a background investigation, checks fingerprints, corroborated information about your past, and may interview your associates.
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You may be interviewed face-to-face by a DSS member.
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The DSS determines your eligibility.
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The DSS contacts the hiring authority, and they will contact you.
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Start The Interim Eligibility Period
The investigation phase might take some time to complete. It depends on the candidate, the number of interviews and information agents need to process, so the average length of time for the investigation phase is around 120 days. Because of this, some agencies might issue an interim security clearance to allow an individual to work in a provisional status until the government issues the full clearance.
Interim eligibility can apply to any applicant, and it can remain in effect until the investigation phase is over and a candidate receives their full security clearance level.
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How Long Are Security Clearances In Effect
Security clearances are in effect for as long as you hold your position or role, with reviews taking place at different interim periods. Top Secret clearance holders must have a formal review after five years, Secret security clearance holders have a review after 10 years and reviews take place after 15 years for a Confidential security clearance. However, your agency may re-investigate a security clearance before your formal review period via a random background check.
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Who Grants Security Clearances
Varying United States government agencies grant security clearances, most commonly the Department of Homeland Security, Department of Defense, Department of Justice, Department of Energy, and Central Intelligence Agency. In fact, the U.S. Department of Defense issues more than 80% of security clearances.
Length Of Security Clearance Effectiveness
As mentioned above, there are different term lengths for security clearances. Confidential clearance lasts for 15 years, secret clearance has a 10-year time period, and top-secret personnel can expect to be reviewed every five years.
People working with sensitive compartmentalized information are top secret level clearance personnel, so they will have their clearance reviewed every five years. But their particular project may be valid for less time.
Individuals with interim security clearances can expect to be in this category for a short period, usually a matter of weeks or months. Then they will either be approved or denied their official level of security clearance.
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