What Is Government Security Clearance

What Are The Differences Between Counterintelligence Lifestyle And Full Scope Polygraphs

Within the context of security clearances, the purpose of a polygraph exam is to assist in determining whether or not an applicant can be trusted with sensitive information. Polygraph screening exams are governed by Security Executive Agent Directive 2 and Intelligence Community Policy Guidance 704.6. The exams are used to determine eligibility for special assignment or special access are limited to two types of polygraph exams, and either one or both exams may be administered.

A Counterintelligence Polygraph is the most common type of polygraph exam. A Counterintelligence Polygraph asks the candidate questions limited to those necessary to determine whether the examinee ever had any involvement with or knowledge of:

• Espionage
• Deliberate damage of U.S. Government Information Systems
• Intentional compromise of U.S. Government Classified Information
• Secret contact with a foreign national or representative
• Unauthorized disclosure or removal of classified information

A Lifestyle Polygraph asks the candidate questions concerning their personal life and conduct A Lifestyle Polygraph can also attempt to look for issues in a persons private life for which he or she might be susceptible to blackmail or coercion. DoD Lifestyle Polygraph exam questions cover the following topics.

• Involvement in a serious crime
• Personal involvement with illegal drugs during the last seven years
• Deliberate falsification of the security forms

Types of Security Clearance Investigations

Requesting A Security Clearance

Only a CSO or ACSO may request a security clearance for an individual on behalf of an organization registered in the CSP.

Visit who is eligible for a personnel security screening and accepted justification to process personnel security screening requests for more information on an individualâs eligibility for personnel security screening.

To request a new security clearance, or to update or upgrade an existing security clearance, the CSO or ACSO and the employee must complete and submit the following forms:

• Security clearance form

Processing times for a security clearance depend on the complexity of the request and the verifications that must be completed. Requests can be categorized as either simple or complex. For more information, visit cost and processing times for personnel security screenings.

The CSO or ACSO can only submit their personnel security screening request to the CSP once they have completed and documented a thorough verification of the applicantâs security form and background.

The following will be requested:

• a law enforcement inquiry by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police through:

What Is The Defense Office Of Hearings And Appeals

The Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals is a component of the Defense Legal Services Agency. DOHA is comprised primarily of attorneys , Administrative Judges, and administrative support personnel. DOHA previously had Personnel Security Specialists , but when DOD CAF was created, these personnel transferred to DOD CAF. In 2015 DOHA added Personnel Security Specialists to their staff to perform some functions related to HSPD-12 credentialing and federal employment suitability cases that are not done by DOD CAF. DOHA receives a few thousand of the most problematic cases each year from the Industry Division of DOD CAF, and about 1,500 of these cases are decided by their Administrative Judges. Most of these decision are based on evidence presented at a hearing requested by the applicant. DOHA Administrative Judges also preside over Personal Appearances of clearance applicants appealing clearance denials or revocations by other divisions of DOD CAF.

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Will I Need A Security Clearance

Jobs involving the U.S. government or military will require a security clearance. In particular, clearances are usually required for cyber security experts employed by a:

• Government agency
• Organization that works with government contractors

Common careers requiring security clearance include:

If you work with sensitive information in areas other than the government or military, security clearance will not be needed. However, at the very least, many cyber security jobs will involve a background check.

What Do The Terms Active Current And Expired Mean

People either have a clearance or they dont have a clearance. The Personnel Security Investigation on which the clearance is based can be either current or out-of-date. People commonly use the terms active, current, and expired to mean:

• Active a clearance that has not been terminated.
• Current a terminated clearance that is still eligible for reinstatement.
• Expired a terminated clearance that is no longer eligible for reinstatement.

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What Is A Security Clearance

A security clearance is a determination by the United States Government that a person or company is eligible for access to classified information. The term eligibility for access means the same thing as security clearance and is used in Government record systems and by Government personnel security specialists. There are two types of clearances: Personnel Security Clearances and Facility Security Clearances .

Jobs For Veterans With Security Clearance

Veterans or soon to be service members with security clearance can hold an advantage in the job market when transitioning to civilian life and are seeking employment. There are multitudes of employers such as government agencies and commercial defense that are actively looking to find employees that have current security clearance positions. The skillsets of these in-demand positions can vary greatly but include programming, engineering, intelligence, accounting & finance, overseas careers and many more career opportunities.

Hiring veterans with security clearance is also in the best interest of employers as well. The investigation and background check stage for a security clearance can take anywhere from a few months all the way to over a year to be completed and can be costly to employers. There can be hundreds of thousands of background investigations that are pending security clearance backlogged at any given time. Most employers cannot afford to wait this long. For these reasons, recruiters and hiring managers many times actively seek out qualified veterans that possess security clearance.

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Reporting Changes In Behaviour And Security Concerns

The need to maintain a culture of security must be balanced with the need for people to trust that they are in a safe environment to do their work, and with individuals’ legitimate expectation of privacy. Reporting changes in behaviour and security concerns must never be used as a way to increase personal power, to criticize an individual’s work, or to cause embarrassment resulting from actions or thoughts. Departments and agencies must respect individuals’ right to privacy, but must continue to assess their behaviour to identify changes or suspicious patterns that could give rise to security concerns.

Departments and agencies must ensure that individuals understand the reporting requirements detailed in the security screening certificate and briefing form, as well as any additional reporting requirements that may be established in departmental or agency procedures. This includes how to report changes or concerns and to whom they should be reported.

Managers, who are in contact with employees and contractors daily, are among the first people likely to recognize changes in behaviour. They are required to report these changes to the DSO or the delegated official.

Managers and employees should be trained so that they understand what they should be looking for and to ensure that they are vigilant. Unusual behaviour that may be cause for concern and should be reported to the DSO or delegated official include, but are not limited to, the following:

What Is Foreign Ownership Control Or Influence

A contractor is determined as having FOCI when under such a level of foreign control or influence that it cannot be cleared without a negation method. DSS assists the contractor in selecting a negation method however, some levels of FOCI cannot be negated and the contractor is determined ineligible for an FCL.

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Already Have A Clearance

If you currently hold a clearance at your present employer or through the military, it may be transferable to Northrop Grumman.

Clearances are typically transferable for a two-year period from the date of debrief. Please notify the Talent Acquisition representative handling your application if you hold a current DoD clearance.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police Is Responsible For:

• 9.8.1 Maintaining a national repository of criminal history records to allow for criminal record checks to be conducted and
• 9.8.2 Conducting law enforcement inquiries to verify whether an individual has been convicted of a criminal offence and, when appropriate, to assess the person’s involvement with criminal organizations or with criminality, and potential vulnerabilities based on high-risk behaviours.

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Process For Obtaining A Security Clearance

Federal Government security clearances take a considerable amount of time to getfrom 6 weeks to one year or more, depending on the type and level & complexity. Each clearance application is processed as a case-by-case scenario. This can also affect processing times. If you want to work for the Federal Government, you must factor in this time.

How to obtain a Reliability, Secret and Top Secret Personnel Clearance

To obtain a security clearance, you first need a sponsor, such as a staffing firm like Altis Recruitment or a Federal Government department. Altis Recruitment only sponsors security clearance requests for candidates we are actively working with.

How to obtain a Facility Clearance

Here are the steps:

Why Would An Applicant Be Denied A Security Clearance

Various reasons exist for why someone may be denied a security clearance. The most important factors in an investigation are the individual’s honesty, candor, and thoroughness in the completion of their security clearance forms. Every case is individually assessed, using the Security Executive Directive 4: National Security Adjudicative Guidelines, to determine whether the granting or continuing of eligibility for a security clearance is clearly consistent with the interests of national security.

The adjudicative guidelines include: allegiance to the United States foreign influence foreign preference sexual behavior personal conduct financial considerations alcohol consumption drug involvement and substance misuse emotional, mental, and personality disorders criminal conduct handling protected information outside activities and misuse of information technology.

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Managers Are Responsible For:

• 6.3.1 Ensuring that the requirement for a security status or clearance is established as a condition of employment, appointment, contract or other arrangement or assignment for which they are managerially responsible, and that this requirement is identified in relevant documentation
• 6.3.2 Ensuring that individuals for whom they are managerially responsible have a valid security status or clearance, as defined by the department or agency’s security screening requirements, before:
• 6.3.2.1. Issuing an unconditional job offer,
• 6.3.2.2. Awarding a contract,
• 6.3.2.3. Placing them in a position by means of other mechanism such as an assignment, secondment or volunteer, or
• 6.3.2.4. Giving them access to sensitive government information and/or assets, or facilities and

Length Of The Clearance Investigation

Regardless of the security level, investigations take approximately 120 days or longer depending on the nature of the investigation and the completeness of the information provided. Those who have done extensive overseas travel may find their process takes longer due to the need to verify those activities.

Who Can Request A Security Clearance?

No military member or potential new hire may initiate the clearance process this is done by the agency requiring the clearances.

The Security Clearance Questionnaire

No matter what level of clearance you may need, there will be a lengthy form to complete that requires a lot of detail including your past addresses for ten years, explanations of foreign travel, any associations with foreign companies or entities, and more. Civilian employees must complete paperwork that is more than 100 pages long. Military members face similar forms.

The questionnaire should be considered a precursor to a background investigation and an interview where required. The investigation is an important part of the process military and civilian employees alike should know that filling out the form is basically providing a basic framework for the investigation.

What does this mean?

Security Clearances Are Offered As A Condition Of Employment

That means that you may only participate in the investigation/security clearance background check if you have been offered a job. Potential new hires do not get investigated in this way.

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Statuses In The Review Process

The Defense Security Service issues the following statuses throughout the investigation to let candidates know what is happening during the process:

• Received: The ISP has acknowledged receipt of the investigation request and will be reviewing it for acceptability.
• Unacceptable: The ISP determined the investigation request to be deficient. The applicant will then receive a message with the reason why the request was rejected. If the employee still requires a clearance, a new investigation request will need to be initiated and submitted with the corrected information.
• Scheduled: The ISP has determined the investigation request to be acceptable, and the investigation is currently ongoing/open.
• Closed: The ISP has completed the investigation, and ithas been sent for adjudication.

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.

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Q: What Happens Once My Security Clearance Application Is Processed / How Can I Obtain A Copy Of My Security Clearance Briefing Form

A: Promaxis will receive a copy of your Clearance briefing form from Public Works. We will send you a copy of the briefing form by email. You must then print, sign and return the form to Promaxis. Please check your email regularly. Otherwise, please call us on 613-737-2112, and we will supply you with a copy. Please note: Promaxis can only request copies of Clearances for which we are the sponsor.

The Treasury Board Of Canada Secretariat Is Responsible For:

• 9.1.1 Issuing policy direction, guidance, tools and forms to support the implementation of this Standard
• 9.1.2 Determining the personal information that is to be collected, used, disclosed, retained and disposed of for the purpose of security screening and maintaining the description of the Standard Personal Information Bank â Personnel Security Screening for this purpose
• 9.1.3 Providing advice and guidance to departments and agencies on the implementation and interpretation of this Standard and
• 9.1.4 Monitoring compliance with this Standard and the achievement of the expected results.

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Federal Employment Suitability Investigation

Suitability investigations are conducted on new competitive service federal employees, either immediately before or shortly after they are hired. The type of investigation depends on the risk level of the position the employee or employment candidate will occupy. A favorable adjudication for any risk level automatically makes an applicant eligible for Personal Identity Verification cards required by Homeland Security Presidential Directive 12 . If the position also requires a national security clearance, a single investigation can be completed that fulfills both suitability and security clearance requirements.

Levels Of Security Clearance

There are three standard levels of security clearance: Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret.

• A Confidential clearance is the easiest to obtain and covers positions where the disclosure of classified information would cause damage to national security.
• A Secret clearance indicates that the type of confidential information covered would cause serious damage to national security if divulged.
• If an individual would be able to access classified information of the highest sensitivity, then a Top Secret clearance would be required.

There are also two categories of classified information that require additional handling and access restrictions:

• Sensitive compartmented information , which includes intelligence sources, methods, and processes.
• Special access programs , which are highly sensitive projects and programs.

These categories are for classified information that has been deemed particularly vulnerable, and eligibility standards and investigative requirements for access to SCI and SAPs clearances are higher than for other clearances.

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Security Clearance Frequently Asked Questions

Answers to frequently asked questions about U.S. Government security clearances, the National Industrial Security Program , the Office of Personnel Management and Department of Defense Personnel Security and Facility Security Programs. Learn more about security clearance processing timelines, how to fill out the SF86, the criteria for obtaining a security clearance and polygraph procedures in the most comprehensive guide to the security clearance process published on the Internet.

Automated Security Screening Application Forms And Repositories

All forms produced to automate the collection, disclosure and handling of personal information for security screening must be designed to collect only the specific elements or categories of information required for the screening, as defined in the TBS-issued forms.

Requirements pertaining to the collection, use, disclosure, retention and disposal of information, as defined in Standard Personal Information Bank PSU 917 apply equally to automated repositories, as do other procedures outlined in this Standard and in other Treasury Board policies, directives, standards and guidelines.

Before any system to collect, process and manage personal information is put into operation, a risk assessment and a privacy impact assessment must be conducted, and security and privacy concerns must be mitigated to ensure that personal information is protected in accordance with the Privacy Actand related policy instruments.

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