ANDREWS AIR FORCE BASE, Md. –
It can be a hassle. All of the forms, the fingerprints, researching old addresses and phone numbers, stressful background interviews, friends calling to say the FBI came to their house asking questions, the stress of not knowing what is taking so long ... did they find something? Then, finally, six months to two years later, the security manager informs the person that their security clearance has been granted. What a relief. They can finally let their guard down and relax a little.
People who think this are wrong.
The security clearance process begins the moment it is determined that a member requires a security clearance to perform his or her duty, and continues until that person no longer requires a clearance or separates from military or civil service.
It is a continuous five-step process, according to Sylvia Wilson, Andrews Personnel Security specialist.
"Designate, investigate, adjudicate, continue to evaluate, and re-investigate," she said. The least understood - and most important part of the process - is continuous evaluation."
DoD 5200.2-R, Personnel Security Program, requires that when a member is granted a security clearance, commanders, supervisors, co-workers and individuals continue to evaluate and report any information or behavior that calls into question that person's reliability, trustworthiness or loyalty. Unfortunately, some people are reluctant to report information about themselves for fear of losing their security clearance; co-workers often do not want to report their friends and co-workers; and supervisors are not always aware of some of the problems their employees may have.
"I cannot stress how important it is for a member to report information related to their security clearance," said Ms. Wilson. "It is not usually the behavior that causes someone to lose their clearance; it's their failure to report the issue or attempts to hide the information that gets them into trouble. The Air Force Central Adjudication Facility can mitigate a lot of issues, so what they are really interested in is a person's honesty and willingness to come forward with the information."
Security clearance issues can adversely affect mission performance. When a member hides information and it is later discovered by investigators or security, the clearance is often suspended, which means they may not be able to deploy, work on the flight-line, or perform a number of other duties that require access to classified information. When the member comes forward on their own, security professionals and commanders are often able to intervene before the problem necessitates suspension of the security clearance.
When the member fails to report information about him or herself, the reporting responsibility falls on co-workers and supervisors.
"All cleared personnel have an obligation to report derogatory information on other cleared personnel," says Ms. Wilson. "Failure to report derogatory information on your co-workers can raise questions about your own loyalty, trustworthiness and reliability and could even result in you losing your own clearance."
Information that should be reported to security managers includes financial delinquency or excessive indebtedness, spending patterns inconsistent with the members rank or pay grade, criminal activity, alcohol and drug abuse, emotional and psychological problems, and frequent contact with foreign nationals.
High-profile espionage cases underscore the importance of reporting information on co-workers. In the case of former FBI analyst and convicted spy Aldrich Ames, co-workers were aware of his lavish spending habits and alcoholism, but were reluctant to report the information or did not understand that they had a responsibility to report the information. Lives may have been saved if just one of his supervisors or co-workers paid closer attention to his eccentric behavior and reported it to security.
According to Ms. Wilson, the bottom line is protecting national security information.
"We don't want people to see reporting derogatory information as 'tattle-telling' on their co-workers," she said. "We want them to understand that they are doing their part to protect national security. Security clearance is a privilege and having one it a very big responsibility."