security clearance questions 2016-2020

I spent 7 years as a 71L, Administrative Specialist, in the Army Reserves with a hospital unit. A 71L is an MOS that a is now known as a 42A, Human Resources Specialist. We would get crap, but mostly from people who didn't know any better. We would get called things like “Chairborne Ranger”, “Remington Raider (after the typewriter), and Radar O'Reilly (after the M*A*S*H character) . I say people that didn't know any better, because the last person you want to piss off is the Administrative Specialist or anyone having to do with Finance. They could totally screw up your life. Trust me. It may be a little more difficult nowadays with all the computers than it was when I was doing it back in the 80′s, but I got to think there are still ways of getting even.I saw one of the answers on this question indicating a chaplain's assistant as a low respect MOS. I spent three years doing that in the same medical unit, and that is something I never experienced. All the soldiers in my unit were very appreciative of the chaplain branch and all that we did.No one has mentioned this one but another MOS that can get some disrespect from the people who break things and kill people as part of their MOS is the Army bandsman. I spent 11 years as a 42 Romeo with the Michigan National Guard. That has to be the best gig of any branch of the military. We played music and entertained people. We were the public relations face of both the state National Guard and the United States Army. It was crazy fun and I even got paid for it! True, nobody was shooting at us and we weren't having to shoot at other people (although, our Rifle Team consistently took top honors at state competitions). For those in the army or any other Branch, think of all the ceremonial activities there are in the military. Now imagine those ceremonies without the music. Everything from basic training graduation, to change of commands, to Pass in Reviews, it is all backed up with music from the military bandsman.

In order for me to travel over a four day weekend outside a certain radius required:Three copies of a DA31 leave and pass form properly filled out and signed by three peopleA vehicle safety checklist that required an inspection of my car (regardless of whether I woukd be using it) and showing proof of license, registration and insurance.A printout of my planned route from Mapquest.A printout of the Drivers Safety Instruction and Training Web site showing that I answered questions correctly.A DA Form 4856 General Counseling form that informed me of my responsibilities and the impact failure to adhere to the regulations and limitations could have on my career.All of that, in order to go on a trip. This isn't for actual leave that would be credited agsinst my earned vacation days. This wasn't in order to excuse my absence from work for a day. This was in order for me to travel on my day off.This was something I had to do as a E7 Sergeant First Class with multiple combat deployments, nearly 20 years of service (at the time) and the responsibility of the health, training, welfare and discipline of 30 men and equipment in excess of $20 million. We're talking armored vehicles, complex communications systems, high security clearance, huge guns and optics to make the night turn into day.So, yeah, there's a bit of bureaucracy.

It is not a secret if more than one person knows about it.I am a naturally private person, yet I worked in an office once where one supervisor befriended another just to get her betray confidences to the director, in hopes of being the one on top. It backfired, but it was humiliating for the other supervisor.Even though you may become very close friends with your co-workers, too much fraternizing and cozying-up can lead to upper management percieving a lack of professionalism at the very least. And, of course, the "friend" may stab you in the back when both of you are competing for a promotion.Topics which should be off limits:My crazy college days: Even if it was over 20 years ago, acts of drunken hedonism, vandalism or even worshiping the porcelain god call into question your judgment and work ethicCheating or stealing: A rags to riches story, even if you had to steal food or pawn a computer to survive, will call into question your integrity.Being on welfare: Kudos to anyone who made it through that hardship, got an education and now has a responsible position. Unfortunately, you may have a lot of co-workers who never had to struggle in life like you did. Some may judge you harshly from a narrow lens, especially a supervisor.Recovered alcoholic or drug addict: Again, some may judge you harshly from a narrow lens and feel you cannot be trusted.Marital/relationship problems: This will lead to another perception you cannot handle responsibility. Many years ago, I worked with several gals in a retail store. One would come in every day and complain about having to get high to sleep with her husband. She was in a miserable marriage and needed to vent, but it got her fired.Workman's compensation: Never brag about receiving benefits, calling OSHA on a previous employer, filing grievances, serving as an expert witness against a previous employer or talk about anyone else who has done those things. Do not even speak favorably about anyone who has been a whistleblower. I know someone who has been permanently blacklisted at a large state agency because he or she talked about being an expert witness against a large telecommunication corporation 15 years ago.HR is not your friend: HR exists to protect the best interests of the company. They might appear to be your friend because once they got rid of a bad supervisor. The truth is, if it was easier to scapegoat the victim, they will. It is all about what will cost the company the most dollars, never about justice.This may sound cynical, and there are exceptions to every rule, but in the working world, you are going to be up against the best and the worst of human nature. People need their paychecks to feed their families and maintain their lifestyle. The majority will not risk their jobs to take the higher ground in the support or defense of a co-worker.

You are not going to get any useful answers Gary E Gillam unless you provide some context. For example, the answer to your basic question in these different scenarios is wildly different:You are a 21-year old US citizen with a very clean background who has been hired by a defense contractor and put in for a US DOD Confidential clearance.You are a 47-year old US citizen who has traveled internationally extensively, worked overseas for a number of years, has many foreign friends and colleagues, has lived in 10 different place in recent years, has a poor credit rating with past bankruptcies, has multiple offenses on their criminal record, and wants to get a US DOD Secret clearance.You are a non-US citizen applying for an Intel Community Top Secret/SCI clearance.Person 1 can probably get a clearance easily.Person 2 is not likely to get any clearance.Person 3’s chances are slim to none.If you are asking generally how “hard” it is to get a clearance, then the answer is “it depends.” If you have a specific scenario that you can describe (in the comments section), you can probably get a much more useful answer.

Okay, the OP is uninformed about what is going on.There are plenty of people who used to have security clearances who have let them expire. Keeping your clearance current (at least for TS-SCI ones, I can’t speak for the lower clearance levels) is a hassle. You need to notify your security officer before you take any foreign trip or vacation, you need to keep a record of foreign nationals you have interaction with, if you change bank accounts or make major financial changes you need to report it in a timely fashion (ie: not once a year). I’d bet the vast majority of DoD and IC individuals who retire give up their clearance and don’t care.Almost 1/3rd of the IC workforce consists of contractors. Almost all of those contractors were previously Federal employees or military (which is where they got their clearance), then retired and got a job as a contractor. So anyone arguing that when you leave the military or IC as a Federal employee, you should lose your security clearance is saying “let’s cut the IC by 1/3rd.” That’s lunacy. In today’s world where cyber attacks are the MO of China and Russia against the US, where information is critical in dealing with terrorism, having all of those contractors matters more for US national security than another aircraft carrier, a couple of wings of the latest fighter, another armored brigade for the Army, and a MEU for the Marine Corps. I mean no slight against the war fighters—but intelligence wins (or loses) wars and determines how wisely you use your warriors (or even if you have to use them at all). In fact, a lot of contractors are former special ops folks who play roles on CIA Omega teams or as security for the US Dept. of State.The people trying to argue that you should lose your clearance when you leave government (or okay, maybe keep it if you go work for a security contractor right away) really don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s very common for someone to leave the IC and then go to academia. Or run a company. And then come back to the IC years later. You think I’m making this up? William Casey (Reagan’s CIA Director) did exactly that. So did Robert Gates. So did Jim Clapper. So did John Brennan. So did Dan Coats. So did David Petraeus. So did Leon Panetta. So did Porter Goss. And those are just senior executives. I can tell you that after 9–11, a ton of former military and ex-spooks came back. Well, the average length of time right now is 500 days for a security clearance. You can expedite it but it’s not like it goes from 500 days to 5 days. For instance, Jared Kushner spend over a year on a temporary clearance before he was told he didn’t qualify for one even after resubmitting multiple times to correct errors and omissions in his original submission.What this action by President Trump is about (and why he’s facing so much outrage from people like Admiral McRaven and over 60 IC professionals) is that it’s not really about the retired spooks. John Brennan will be just as vocal as he was before. This is about free speech by EMPLOYEES. If employees within the IC know that by telling the President something he doesn’t want to hear it could cost them their career, that has a chilling effect. For instance, imagine an IC briefer telling Trump “Mr. President, I can confirm that Russia has increased their interference in our electoral system for the 2018 elections—we have identified at least 20 candidates—all of them democrats—that the Russians are working to defeat”. If you believe my claim is naive then you don’t know what is currently going on. It’s already in the open press that security briefings have looked for ways to avoid discussing Russia, have sought ways to soft-pedal Russian interference because of a worry that the President will tune them out, have adapted to briefings to try and keep his attention. So if the word gets out that to tell unpleasant truths is going to cost you your clearance, that is dangerous for our national security. Because the issue here is that the President is removing clearances not of all or most or even 10% of retired spooks. He’s going after critics—people who say things he doesn’t want to hear. And that will affect the candor that employees have in sharing information with him that he doesn’t want to hear.

“That's it. Students who took their exam in 103 and 201 will be awarded zeros.”This statement was enough to create chaos across the entire classroom.So a few days after the Midsems, after one of the classes, one of the profs told us to not leave the class since he had something important to discuss with everyone.Class got over. He cleared his throat.“During the Midsems, we have noticed large scale systemic cheating in 2 of the 4 rooms. Large enough for other people to notice as well. And no one reported it to the authorities.”“So what I want you to do is to voluntarily stand up and admit or let us know who were involved in this otherwise everyone in those rooms will be marked zero.”Commotion throughout the room. You could feel the tension. He said that while he took out 2–3 answer sheets and slammed them on the desk.“This is an elite institute and not some place where you could do this and get away with it.”His face carried an expression which eerily looked similar to how German Jews looked like during World War 2. He looked wronged.“I'm gonna give you 5 minutes to stand up and confess. I bumped into the Dean along the way and he's expecting an answer from me. If none of you come out, I'm afraid I'd have no other choice”At this point of time, we didn't know which were the two rooms. Those were the shortest five minutes. And mind you, it’s relative grading here, so if half the people get 0, that would be the most unjust thing.Nobody stood out. We all felt doomed.“That's it. I've waited enough. Since nobody is willing to admit, I might as well tell you the rooms. They're 103 and 201.”Never had I ever felt that relieved in my entire life!He packed up and began to leave as he said that. People started getting triggered. They followed him outside. So did I.There were whispers all around. Some students were talking to him with sensible arguments like: “I was sitting in the second bench. I'm sure none of the people ahead of me were involved. Was I supposed to notice if people behind me were doing this?”Seems plausible. Several other good points were made and then the professor started leaving. He turned around, looked at us straight in the eyes and said the most amazing 6 words he could say.“Today is the first of April.”

My mom and I have a difference of opinion on Trump. Before the election, I thought we were on the same page: both disgusted at the thought of him in office.Then she did an about face. She got real quiet when I would comment on the news of the day, usually expressing disgust about his scummery. She stopped agreeing with me. I wondered what happened to change her mind.Somewhere, she heard or read that he had had a conversion experience. She said she really believed that he was chosen by God to be the president and it was her duty to vote for him. Her only reason was that he would stop all of the babies from being killed.I realized then, that she had drunk some koolaid. She had bought the doctrine of her religious leaders which was against Hillary.Speaking of Hillary, everyone I have asked about what they think of her, they say that she is a liar, a thief and a criminal. They also don’t like the idea of Bill back in the white house.This really gives me cause to wonder. I mean, Drumph has told us he has no scruples about sexually assaulting women. It is ok for him, but what Bill did is not ok. I seem to remember that Bill had consensual intimacy, but Trump doesn’t feel he needs consent for what he does.And after how many investigations of Hillary for numerous issues, nothing sticks. The Repubs keep re-investigating these issues, time after time. I mean, how many times do investigators have to go over all of this?. Are the investigators idiots?Like I said, my mom and I have reached a fork regarding our views on politics. Since she is frail, 85 and in poor health, I decline to discuss any politics. But, it sure takes a lot of effort for me to bite my tongue after we watch the evening news and we see the Cheeto acting like a spoiled adolescent doing something else stupid.Another thought. So Obama was NOT put in office according to the will of God? And we don’t have an obligation to support him? Obama held himself to high standards: no cheating on his wife, or committing any number of the crimes we suspect of the current office holder. He handled all of the hatred and venom thrown at him with dignity and grace.Well, as I usually say at the end of my rant… That’s my opinion and I have a lot of those. :)UPDATE: I just spent a week and a half with my mom. We did discuss some things of a political nature. She does not like Trump but thinks he will help certain prophesies come true.One thing I want to ask for help understanding. I will be posting a question soon. This has to do with a group called “United States Investigative Unit.” Have any of you run across this? My mom handed me a stack of mail from them and said she was not to disclose these to anyone but would I look at them? I did and was not wanting to tell her what I thought. I told her this was a scam. Every letter wanted her to send $40 or $60. And she was supposed to send the letter they sent her with her payment. To me this is a pretty slick way to make sure nobody keeps the evidence.She said she had filled out enough questionnaires that she had gotten her “security clearance.” So she felt like she was an insider. I think this is insidious and another way to bilk the elderly out of their hard won income. It could also be a way to steal identities. Any input is welcome.UPDATE II: I am now living with my mom to look after her daily needs. I finally figured out that she reads the venomous junk mail, sends in her donations, and gets even more political propaganda in return.This stuff has convinced her that anything liberal is evil. So, while she is off at dialysis, I “clean” her mail. Her shredder is very busy.

In short: Nail biting and interesting.This happened on 27th of June, 2018 i.e 2 days before!I was bit surprised there were no check while I was entering Israel. While exiting the country I had the experience of a life time. I have been to US, UK, a few EU countries, UAE, Singapore but never seen or experienced such kinds of security checks.Short background of me and my trip: I am an Indian national who travelled to Israel for 10 days with my three German friends.There are many security stages you have to pass through before boarding the flight when entering Ben Gurion airport. I explain three main stages which I find interesting.First, our car was asked to stop at the entrance check post of the airport. The following questions were asked,Her: Where are you guys from?We: GermanyHer: Can I see your Passports?We: *shown*Her: what is the purpose of your visit to Israel?*toldHer: Where did you go in Israel?We: Tel aviv, Jerusalem, Eilat and many placesHer: How long were you guys in Israel?We: 10 daysHer: are you flying back to Germany?We: YesHer: So where did you go in Israel?We: *in our mind “didn’t we answered the question before?” but we repeated the answer.Her: Alright, have a safe flight.Now at the check in area, my German friends went ahead of me. They were asked many questions but they were cleared and went to check-in subsequently for the normal baggage scanning. When it was my turn, she received my passport, then asked,Her: What is your father’s name?Me: *saidHer: What is your mother’s name?Me: *saidHer: Where do they come from?Me: IndiaHer: What holidays do you celebrate?(*I think she wanted to know my religion )Me: Christmas, Easter and New Year.She browsed through my passport and she stopped at UAE stamps. I had 6 entry and exit stamps!Her: Why did you visit UAE?Me: My brother lives there.Her: what’s his name?Me *toldHer: Does he live alone?Me: No, he is lives with his wife.Her: What’s her name?Me: *toldHer: What company does he work for?Me: (I forgot the name of the company so I said something)Her: When was last time you visited UAE?Me: June 2017 oh sorry actually November 2017.Her: Oh November 2017?Me: Yes!She went to her supervisor she said something, her supervisor came to me and told me “Sir you are late to the airport. You have to go through yet another check. I can’t assure you that you can catch your flight”. I looked at my watch, I had more than one hour and quickly realized, I am going to be ripped! Then she pasted world renowned flashy yellow 6 sticker on backside of my passport.(*picture copied from google)When it was time to pass the real security, the airport staff escorted me to the right after she saw my yellow barcode sticker, she also asked me my flight time. I told her “in an hour”. She raised her eyebrows with a shrug.A gentleman asked me to empty my pockets and take off my belt, put everything on a tray. Then I was asked to take all of my electronics out of my carry-on bag, laptop, camera, batteries, chargers and all liquid items and he put it in a baggage scanner. With pockets empty, I passed through the metal detector. Nothing was heard, so you see I was not a threat? But no. I still needed to pass a second round X-Ray scanner. Before that he asked me to bring all the scanned trays and my small cabin luggage to a table and brought few more trays. He started to empty my small backpack and cabin trolley bag while he asked me to take a seat in front of the table.At this time, I saw an Egyptian guy (from his passport??) being searched thoroughly. He was wearing thick ripped jeans. Officers suspecting he was hiding something beneath his jeans. He was patted many times yet the officers were not convinced. Then a tourist looking guy -something like in the picture below- came into security area and spoke with full authority. Yeah he was an undercover officer. I saw him speaking through a microphone hidden beneath his t-shirt. For his part he took the guy to a small room and came out with the jeans. They kept the jeans for three scans and finally they were convinced and let him go. But I was bit petrified and hoped I would not have to go through a strip search.(*from google)Then they called me. (‘Yeah it’s my turn!’) Went through the x-ray scan and a few pats on my shoulders and my arms. Thank god I was clear, time for my belongings. They used an explosive material detector to scan every single item. Seriously, every single piece from my bag. My headphones, charger, camera, books, souvenirs and even my underwear. He switched on 6 detector machines to accelerate the process so that I can get my flight. Tens and twenties of green signal from the detector did not dispel his doubts. He used the explosive detector over 50 times unwearied. Still unconvinced, he collected some stuff like camera, toiletry bag, charger etc and put it in the scanner. Finally I was cleared, he asked me to hurry up to the gate as my flight will depart in 15 mins. He told me he already spoke with the flight crew so they would let me to board the plane. Thankfully the shuttle bus which brings passengers to the flight was waiting with few passengers on board.I adored my time in Israel, though I received a "6" passport sticker at Ben-Gurion and intense security check!!