So I have been noticing something, not just here at ATS but in the general population. I think there is some misconceptions on security clearances
which I would love to clear up.
As most of you already know there are 4 main clearance levels to consider;
Top Secret, Secret, Confidential, and Unclassified. There are also a host of little acronyms to look for as well such as SCI, CNWDI, CRYPTO, NOFORN
and so on.
Here is a basic cutout...
TOP SECRET (TS) information is information which, if disclosed without authorization, could reasonably be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage
to the national security.
SECRET (TS) information is information which, if disclosed without authorization, could reasonably be expected to cause serious damage to the national
security.
CONFIDENTIAL (TS) information is information which, if disclosed without authorization, could reasonably be expected to cause damage to the national
security.
So let me give you some insider info that might shock you or rather bore you, which is sort of the point.
Before I go on here is a little site with great summary information.
Security Classifications
I currently hold a TS with CNWDI and SCI. I see some people who think this is incredible. Well apart from being a pain in the ass and expensive as
hell, it is really not much a big deal. I was a 2W2 (Nuclear Weapons Specialist) and am now a 3M0 (Services Chef). I still have a TS because it
hasn't lapsed and I will try to keep it but more than likely I will be downgraded to a Secret after a few more years.
Having a TS is very much not a big deal to the general world. It isn't all hush-hush as some think it is and it is certainly not a pass t all sorts
of information. I cannot go to Cheyenne or my Command Post and just peruse all the cool TS information. I cannot go to intelligence and find out all
the cool details they know on a whim. In the same respect, Intelligence cannot just come out to my Nuke structures ((were I still a 2W2)) and just ask
me things about the weapons design.
Here as some important factors to note.
1. Getting a TS is somewhat difficult if you don't have a clean record.
2. While a few jobs use that TS on a day to day basis, many TS holders often don't see any real TS information. I can count on both hands the amount
of times I did.
3. TS information, when passed out takes measures beyond just the clearance level. If I were to be a shop chief and have some TS info or even Secret
info to pass out, it requires the listener to not only have a TS clearance but also have what they call a 'need-to-know'. Simply put, if I have info
to pass, you have a TS but are from some other job field, you aren't gonna know. In the same aspect if you are intelligence and my clearance outdoes
yours, I am still not gonna know your details.
4. Most members of the Air Force have a Secret. All the chefs you meet in all the dining facilities you go to have one.
Anyway folks I am not trying to bust bubbles here. I am not an operative trying to get this site or you personally to stop discussing clearances. I
love the open passing of free information and certainly you'll never hear details from me about my CNWDI clearance but I am telling you it isn't
that big a deal.
One of the cool little things however is that when you go for a TS clearance, some agency ((be it NCIS, FBI, or OSI)) will talk to your family and
friends during the investigation. The wild part is those people remember stuff about me me that even I don't remember! Well done :-p
Good to see the tax dollars working well somewhere.
Well sorry to break it to you folks, it just isn't that big a deal I don't think. Then again, this is just one man's opinion.
Have a fine day
-Kyo
