A security clearance is granted by the U.S. government to individuals who pass a background check, allowing them access to classified information. There are three levels of security clearance - Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret - with Top Secret requiring the highest level of investigation and periodic reinvestigation. Obtaining a clearance involves applying, an investigation of one's background, and an adjudication based on thirteen evaluation factors. Those employed by organizations working with classified national security information are eligible to apply for a clearance.

1. 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; A security clearance is a status granted to
individuals allowing them access to classified information (state or organizational secrets) or to
restricted areas, after completion of a thorough background check. The term "Security Clearance" is also
sometimes used in private organizations that have a formal process to vet employees for access to
sensitive information. A clearance by itself is normally not sufficient to gain access; the organization
must also determine that the cleared individual needs to know specific information. No one is supposed
to be granted automatic access to classified information solely because of rank, position, or a security
clearance.
Types of Security Clearances
 Positions in the federal government are classified in three ways:
 Non-sensitive positions
 Public trust positions
 National security positions
 Each of these positions requires some form of background investigation, which may vary depending
on the necessary level of clearance for a position. For lower levels of security clearances,
background investigations typically rely entirely on automated checks of an applicant’s history. For a
secret clearance in a national security position, the investigation requires agents to interview people
who have lived or worked with the applicant at some point in the last seven years (or more)
Security Levels
Security clearances can be issued by many United States of America government agencies, including the
Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of State (DOS), the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS), the Department of Energy (DoE), the Department of Justice (DoJ), the National Security Agency
(NSA), and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). DoD issues more than 80% of all clearances.
There are three levels of DoD security clearances:
TOP SECRET – Will be applied to information in which the unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be
expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security.
SECRET – Will be applied to information in which the unauthorized disclosure could reasonably be
expected to cause serious damage to the national security.
CONFIDENTIAL – Will be applied to information in which the unauthorized disclosure could reasonably
be expected to cause damage to the national security.

2. TYPES OF SECURITY CLEARANCES:
The scope of investigative work needed to grant a security clearance depends on the level of clearance
being requested. There are three basic levels of security classification:
CONFIDENTIAL: This refers to material, which, if improperly disclosed, could be reasonably expected to
cause some measurable damage to the national security. The vast majority of military personnel are
given this very basic level of clearance. This level needs to be reinvestigated every fifteen years.
SECRET: The unauthorized disclosure of secret information could be expected to cause serious damage
to the national security. This level is reinvestigated every ten years.
TOP SECRET: Individuals with this clearance have access to information or material that could be
expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security if it was released without
authorization. This level needs to be reinvestigated every five years.
Top Secret
Sensitive Compartmentalized Information (SCI)
Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI)
Despite the common misconception, a public trust position is not a security clearance, and is not the
same as the confidential designation. Certain positions which require access to sensitive information,
but not information which is classified, must obtain this designation through a background check. Public
Trust Positions can either be moderate-risk or high-risk. Information "above Top Secret" is either
Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) orspecial access program (SAP) which are phrases used by
media. It is not truly "above" Top Secret, since there is no clearance higher than Top Secret. SCI
information may be either Secret or Top Secret, but in either case it has additional controls on
dissemination beyond those associated with the classification level alone. In order to gain SCI Access,
one would need to have a Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI). Compartments of information
are identified by code words. This is one means by which the "need to know" principle is formally and
automatically enforced. In order to have access to material in a particular SCI "compartment", the
person must first have the clearance level for the material. The SCI designation is an add-on, not a
special clearance level. Someone cleared at the SECRET level for some compartment X cannot see
material in compartment X that is classified TOP SECRET. But the reverse is not true: a person cleared for
TOP SECRET with access to X material can also access SECRET material in compartment X. The codeword
flags for SECRET and TOP SECRET material in every compartment are different, and each codeword is
classified at the level it protects (the SECRET codeword for a compartment is itself classified SECRET,
etc.)
 As long as the holder of a clearance is sponsored, the clearance remains active. If the holder loses
sponsorship, the holder is eligible for re-employment with the same clearance for up to 24 months
without reinvestigation, after which an update investigation is required.

3.  A Periodic Reinvestigation is typically required every five years for Top Secret and ten years for
Secret/Confidential, depending upon the agency. Access to a compartment of information lasts only
as long as the person's need to have access to a given category of information.
 Unclassified (U) is a valid security description, especially when indicating unclassified information
within a document classified at a higher level. For example, the title of a Secret report is often
unclassified, and must be marked as such. Material that is classified as Unclassified // For Official
Use Only (U//FOUO) is considered between Unclassified and Confidential and may deal with
employee data.
 For access to information at a given classification level, individuals must have been granted access
by the sponsoring government organization at that or a higher classification level, and have a need
to know the information. The government also supports access to SCI and SAPs in which access is
determined by need-to-know. These accesses require increased investigative requirements before
access is granted.
Additionally, the United States Department of Energy issues two levels of security clearances:
Q Clearance – Allows access to Classified information up to and including TOP SECRET data with the
special designation: Restricted Data (TS//RD) and special Q-Cleared "security" areas.
L Clearance – Allows access to Classified information up to and including SECRET data with the special
designation: Formerly Restricted Data (S//FRD) and special L-Cleared "limited" areas.
WHO CAN GET A SECURITY CLEARANCE?
Any person who is employed by an organization that is sending, receiving, or developing information
that the government has deemed as important to National security will need to obtain a security
clearance.
Currently, there are more than 500,000 background investigations pending for security clearance
approval. When an individual is going through the process for clearance, it may take up to a year before
a determination is made. This makes a military candidate who already has clearance even more
appealing to a hiring company. If the company hires a person who will need to gain a clearance, they
may wait over a year before the person is eligible to work on the project for which they were hired. This
is a lot of lost time and money to a company. If they can identify a person who has the necessary
clearances, such as a candidate with a military background, that person immediately becomes more
valuable.
HOW DO YOU GET A SECURITY CLEARANCE?
There are three main phases to receiving a security clearance:
 The first phase is the application process. This involves verification of U.S. citizenship, fingerprinting
and completion of the Personnel Security Questionnaire (SF-86).
 The second phase involves the actual investigation of your background. Most of the background
check is conducted by the Defense Security Service (DSS).

4.  The final phase is the adjudication phase. The results from the investigative phase are reviewed. The
information that has been gathered is evaluated based on thirteen factors determined by the
Department of Defense (DoD). Some examples of areas they consider are; allegiance to the United
States, criminal and personal conduct, and substance abuse or mental disorders. Clearance is
granted or denied following this evaluation process.
BY
Kartheek.G
Sr.Talent Acquisition Specialist