Aaron Alexis Had 'Secret' Clearance

The 'suspected' shooter in the 9/16 navy yard massacre had secret clearance and had been issued an i.d. that probably allowed him to gain access to the yard.

His 'employer' says so.

We now know about his 'background' of some criminal activities with guns and we are hearing about possible mental illness issues.

Sounds like this guy *really* slipped through the cracks on this one.

Could this have been a classic set up ?

Or is security *really* this wide open ?

WASHINGTON, Sept 16 (Reuters) - Aaron Alexis, the 34-year-old suspect in Monday's shooting rampage at the Washington Navy Yard, had "secret" clearance and was assigned to start working there as a civilian contractor with a military-issued ID card, his firm's chief executive told Reuters.

"He did have a secret clearance. And he did have a CAC (common access card)," said Thomas Hoshko, CEO of The Experts Inc, which was helping service the Navy Marine Corps Intranet as a subcontractor for HP Enterprise Services, part of Hewlett-Packard Co.

Alexis, of Forth Worth, Texas, is suspected of opening fire at the Naval Sea Systems Command building in the Washington Navy Yard in a shooting that left 13 people dead, including the shooter.

and another question?

The Navy said Alexis enlisted as a full-time Navy reservist in May 2007. He was discharged in 2011 after a series of misconduct issues, a Navy official said.

Hmmmm.


So a former Navy reservist with 'misconduct issues' passes all security checks so he can work as a contractor in a Naval facility ??????


Aaron Alexis Had 'Secret Clearance,' Employer Says About Washington Navy Yard Suspect

A secret clearance is common for all military folk, I had to get one before I went to my first duty station, and I was a cook!! Lol

reply to post by xuenchen


I hear what you're saying- the very outfit (NAVY) which found him unfit for service granted him these clearance and this job. Maybe the "rejection" was the reason for vengeance- not to speculate on mental health issues too much...

I don't really want to be that guy but I'm going to ask anyway. With his background of being in trouble and him having secret clearance, I'm wondering if AA had anything to do with him being able to get said clearance.

I'm not trying to ruffle any feathers, it's a genuine question. Dude had 2 priors dealing with firearms yet he has 'secret' clearance into a military yard?

Just throwing this out there..

Anyone can get top secret clearance.. that really means much of nothing.

Ultimately you have to have a need to know to actually SEE anything secret, and that's a heck of a lot harder. A friend of mine was a civilian contractor at WPAFB back in the 80s and he had secret clearance, he could go anywhere on base but had to be escorted and had to be there on business. He had a handler with him that would actually ring a bell if they went to say anything to him so they'd know he wasn't authorized.

So again - secret clearance doesn't mean much, it just means that once you do have a need to know something you're already authorized to be told. Often times that clearance is simply required for you to access the areas you need to be in to execute your tasks, even if that task is as mundane as changing a light bulb.

As for his getting into the Navy Yard, his security was probably enough to get him in the lot but not passed security, he did apparently shoot security with a shot gun and took their AR-15 and side arm.

A Secret Clearance is pretty much just what they do at any job when then run your name through a data base and as long as your not wanted or a recent fellon you good to go. Take about a month for the paper work to makes its way through the system. A TS of course takes about a year and is way more indept because you might have access to real classified info. Most likely his clearance was still active from his time in the Naval Reserve despite his discharge. Should he have still had it? If it was something higher it would have been gone but at that low level they normally just let them expire.

Just talked with a LtCol buddy of mine, he says secret clearances are issued to everyone irregardless of job in the military, from cook (like me) to supply clerk. One reason is because some of the radio freqs used in mil radios are confidential

HomerinNC
Just talked with a LtCol buddy of mine, he says secret clearances are issued to everyone irregardless of job in the military, from cook (like me) to supply clerk. One reason is because some of the radio freqs used in mil radios are confidential

I'm not sure that they're issued to EVERYONE, but they are to a large majority.

I'm a contractor (communications/networking) and I'm familiar with the clearances as I have one myself. There are levels of clearance though and the lowest "confidential" clearance only requires a background check essentially. I had to fill out a huge document online, as well as get a pretty rigorous background check from the Department of Defense (SSBI). I do visit sites that have top secret and top secret compartmentalized clearances (I don't have a compartmentalized level clearance). It is pretty surprising to me that this guy slipped through the cracks though. Especially since he was flagged as having mental instability.. It's pretty alarming to think that he COULD slip through the cracks. Makes you wonder what the DoHS and DoD are doing every time you hear about something like this..

reply to post by miniatus


I was totally unaware of that. Thanks for that info.

I learned something new today!

SO, the top secret clearance in the title is just a means of dramatizing the situation.

reply to post by ZiggyMojo


EVERYONE that completes their basic and tech/advanced training has to get a MINIMUM of a secret clearance to go to their duty station, if you can't get one, you're discharged. When I was waiting to go to my first duty station, I had to wait on my clearance along with 5 others, one guy for some reason, couldn't get a clearance, so he was kicked out. That's the way it is.

reply to post by xuenchen

The 'suspected' shooter in the 9/16 navy yard massacre had secret clearance and had been issued an i.d. that probably allowed him to gain access to the yard.

Clearly, it is time to ban secret clearances.

I have major issues with this shooting that almost makes it unbelievable.

1.) This is a military facility correct? And this man just walked into the complex with 2 long guns under watch of guards and cameras and no one even knew this was taking place until the first shots were fired inside the building? Are you kidding me?

2.) Hows come every mass shooting lately usually involves atleast 3 guns? Everytime 'Suspected secondary shooters'? and everytime it turns out just to be one guy. Just doesn't sit well with me when the same scenario keeps playing out. And usually its AR-15, shotgun, and handgun found. Granted in this case the handgun was taken off and officer. Just seems kinda like a script being played out over and over.

HomerinNC
reply to post by ZiggyMojo

 

EVERYONE that completes their basic and tech/advanced training has to get a MINIMUM of a secret clearance to go to their duty station, if you can't get one, you're discharged. When I was waiting to go to my first duty station, I had to wait on my clearance along with 5 others, one guy for some reason, couldn't get a clearance, so he was kicked out. That's the way it is.

Being that I do have some experience in the area, I would have to disagree that you get a minimum of a SECRET clearance.. Most people get an FOUO or Confidential clearance. FOUO isn't really a level of clearance but recognition of data that is for official use. You can get in trouble for distributing it otherwise. Even then, I'm not sure that EVERYONE gets a clearance. It's dependent on your rank/job etc. Everyone in your unit may have had to get a security clearance of SECRET or Confidential but I don't know that it's always the case.

I have several friends who are active duty that have a lower clearance than I do, and my clearance is on par with SECRET, but has been granted by DoE and DoD for civilian nature. It has to be renewed frequently and it's a cumbersome and drawn out process (ESPQ).

While it is really just a matter of semantics we are arguing, it would be nice to know what "secret" clearance the assailant had here. There is also Top Secret clearance and SCI clearance that have much more intensive SSBI's and adjudication processes.

If the guy had to go through an SSBI then it failed on all accounts.. I could see how he might slip through the cracks with a national agency check or local check but not a single scope..

reply to post by xuenchen

Can there be anymore garbage robotic responses in a single thread? Its almost as if these threads are start by someone with an agenda and the previous 10 posts are idiotic immediate false flag operation type responses with no real evidence.

Blah


Come on. How can you expect them to know that someone is going to flip?

The truth is in modern society everyone treats everyone around them with disregard. Do you want them to up their levels of security and monitor everyone more closely?

/ give it a break

reply to post by onequestion


Well, it's our tax dollars that pay for these background checks in many instances.. We're a country with ridiculous expenditures being justified by "security and safety" but the security they're providing is piss poor.

The guy CLEARLY had known issues and somehow managed to get through all the cracks.. I'm not saying it's a conspiracy, I'm saying our government with all their power and ABC agencies and protocols, missed this guy. That is a problem. Especially when they justify payroll on the exact premise that guys like this or terrorist like the Boston Marathon bombers are going to be caught.

They had previous knowledge of the guys issues!

reply to post by ZiggyMojo


They cant catch everybody you know that.

onequestion
reply to post by xuenchen

 

Can there be anymore garbage robotic responses in a single thread? Its almost as if these threads are start by someone with an agenda and the previous 10 posts are idiotic immediate false flag operation type responses with no real evidence.

Blah


Come on. How can you expect them to know that someone is going to flip?

The truth is in modern society everyone treats everyone around them with disregard. Do you want them to up their levels of security and monitor everyone more closely?

/ give it a break

edit on 17-9-2013 by onequestion because: (no reason given)

AN arrest record would pop up very quickly on a security check. If he had a "secret" clearance or above, the record most definitely would have come up. The background checks for such security clearances are very in depth.

onequestion
reply to post by ZiggyMojo

 

They cant catch everybody you know that.

Yeah.. but it's not like this guy or the Boston Marathon bombers were "under the radar".

Have you seen this guys rap sheet? He shot a guys tires out, shot a gun into his neighbors kitchen, was seeing a doctor for mental health issues and the government DID know about it.

These are huge red flags for them, and they would DEFINITELY show up on a security clearance check. They had people interview my NEIGHBORS for my SSBI and they keep tabs on you until your renewal. Crimes or potential convictions pop instantly for places like the DoHS or DoD for people with or seeking clearances.

The guy shouldn't have even been allowed to OWN guns.. and I'm Pro 2nd Amendment. Let alone tote one into a government facility in which he was granted access by the same people meant to stop this stuff from happening! I'm not saying it's a conspiracy either.. it's a massive and dangerous oversight that has left people dead.. AGAIN.

They can catch people like this easier than others.. You know that..

reply to post by ZiggyMojo


Ok, ill let win based on those points.

When i got my secret clearance it was pretty easy, granted i didn't have anything suspect in my background.

reply to post by xuenchen


Magically gets high level security pass without no one noticing. No motive. Suicided without giving his side of the story. Media quick to define him. How can he afford all that ammo and the firearms without throwing a red flag in the system? mental illness label being used as a cover.

Smells like another mentally compromised cia patsy.