What is a top secret security clearance?

Question

I hear that term tossed around a lot lately and was just curious to what it is. Thanks!

Answer 1

It means you're willing to reveal anything to anybody for your price.

Answer 2

A top secret security clearance gives you access to some top secret material depending on what your job is.

I had a top secret clearance and was investigate by the FBI, the Marine Corps, and Office of Naval Intelligence. I was oversea for over a year and they were still investigating me. The FBI scared a hell of a lot of relatives and close friends because they had no idea why the FBI was checkup on me because before I was on this special assignment I had no idea how intense the investigation would be.

Just because you have a top secret clearance does not necessarily mean you will have access to all types of this material. You must realize that you are not allowed to communicate any of this material to anyone else. There are things I am taking to my grave.

Top Secret is not the highest clearance you can get.

Answer 3

SgtMoto is correct, as are most of the other answers--except, of course, for the one or two sarcastic assclowns who think they're being funny. National security isn't a funny issue; and clearances are carefully issued to people with a clean record who also know to take it seriously. They spent about as much time investigating me as they did with SgtMoto; it literally costs the government thousands of dollars to award that level of a clearance to just one individual, because of the time and effort involved in clearing them. Even then, just having a clearance--regardless of the level--doesn't make you privy to all information or equipment at the same level; it still requires a need-to-know. Clearances also expire after a while, and must be renewed and have fresh background checks to renew them and validate that clearance. It's also very, very easy to lose a clearance; any number of things, from criminal problems to bad financial choices can jeopardize your clearance, and make it difficult to get back again, if at all.

For the record, a TS clearance is one level above Secret. There are levels below Secret, and levels above TS.

Answer 4

There are 3 “basic” kinds of clearance in the US military: confidential, secret and top secret. “Higher” levels are assigned to information on a case by case basis.

Just because you have the clearance doesn’t mean you have the authority or “need to know” to view all materials designated as such.

Furthermore, once you have dealt with the material you learn that you only want to know what you have to know. The reason is twofold. For one, the more you know the more of a liability/target you may be for espionage. Additionally, if you have had access to information that happens to be leaked you are automatically a suspect and could easily be implicated.

Answer 5

If you have a job that requires you to work with information that's sensitive to national security, then you are required to apply for a security clearance. There are interviews and background checks done before one is issued. There are several levels of security clearance, and one of the highest is "Top Secret". I once had a "Secret" clearance because it was required for a previous job. Hope this helps.

Answer 6

There are 3 classifications of security.
Confidential
secret
top secret
Top secret is the highest of classification. Everything is on a need to know basis. So if I have a top secret clearance and I don't need to see the material, they wont let me.
example, would be a new jet fighter program. I have the clearance bet I can't see it.

Answer 7

If you have a top secret security clearance, then you are legally allowed to see or hear government information classified as top secret. People without a top secret clearance are not allowed to see it.

Answer 8

A top secret security clearance means that you are cleared to see top secret material IF you have the need to know. I had one.

Answer 9

The higher the security clearance, the more of a threat to national security the disclosure of that level of information would be.

Answer 10

It means that you, on a need to know basis, can have access to information that if released could cause extremely serious harm to the interests of this country. That could include how this country is planning to defend itself in case of an attack by another country or what new weapons are being designed to defeat another country in case of a war.

Answer 11

It's top secret, sorry