DOD Secret Clearance?

Question

I was just wondering what a DOD Secret clearance is and how long it take to process? Also is it a a high level clearance?

Answer 1

If you need a Secret clearance, you will be taken through the process, and you'll be told then about how long it will take. Just having a Secret clearance doesn't automatically grant you access to secret material. You'll be granted access on a need to know basis.

Answer 2

There is a rule of "Need to Know". No matter what the clearance level, if you have no need to know- then don't ask.
If there is a real need to know then you will have the information.
We passed a security drill once when an Captain came on board our ship and asked to see the Damage Control Manual. When the person on watch asked about his "Need to Know", the officer showed his security clearance paper work at him. But the watch refused to let him see the manual because the "Need to Know" just was not there.
But if the clearance is needed the time required to get it will depend on how current of a back ground check is on file.
I could get into any space on a ship that I needed to go in less then 5 minutes. Some of these required a "Top Secret Clearance" which was given only for the time I needed to do the work. There was always a debriefing after wards which was just to make sure your for-getter worked great.

Answer 3

A 'secret' clearance means that you are _eligible_ for access to US Government material and information classified at the 'secret' level.

Material classified at the 'secret' level: "Has been determined by competent authority to be of a nature that its unauthorized disclosure would result in serious damage to national security."

How long it takes to process depends on your background. In general the fastest people to process are 18 year olds who have lived in the same town all their lives, never had a credit card and never been picked up the police.

The more places you have lived, the more extensive your credit history, etc means there are more places and things that have to be checked out - so for most older people the initial clearance investigation may take a while.

Another thing that determines the speed of the clearance process is who is sponsoring the clearance. If you are in the military, you clearance will move faster because military clearances have priority. If you are working for a commercial business then your clearance has a lower priority.

One thing to remember is that having a security clearance is an enormous responsibility. Somewhere out there will be a sailor on a ship in enemy waters, a pilot in enemy airspace, or a soldier in battle whose lives will depend on how well you safeguard the information entrusted to you.

Answer 4

DOD has various levels of clearance.

Building access is given by issuing a badge, at the time of employment. Or some regular vendors are issued the access.

Then next level is Confidential. Yet next is Secret.

And Top Secret.

There may be few more above this general level. But are issued for fixed duration only, as needed and Top Secret is confirmed again.

All info is base on need to know bases, and up to the level of clearance only. Files have the markings, and needs few supporting signatures, before release, usually released to the boss or thru the supervisor.

Processing time depends on many things, if you have stayed at one address then it takes less time.

They may expedite it if the requesting entity ask them to provide it as soon as posible by certain date, if they mark it routine then it gets done when and if it gets done.

By the way DOD stands for Department of Defence. There are other, few other agency that issue similar type of clearance and use Letters L or Q.

Answer 5

There are many levels of clearances depending on one's position in the DOD. A secret clearance gives one access to files marled as secret, but not to files marked Top Secret and some files are for Eye's Only.

Answer 6

LOL secret is about the lowest level security clearance one can obtain. That first secret folder you open up is exciting-until you find magazine articles on a given subject that are printed in the regular press. They were classified becasue it used to take time and energy (before Google lol) to peruse 10 or 15 magazines for a particular subject, copy em, collate em and file em.

Answer 7

If you had a valid reason for knowing the answer to your question, you would NOT be on here asking your question, as the answer would be supplied if you needed to know.

If you are/have applied for a DOD job requiring a clearance then they will inform you of all the information you need to know.

Answer 8

It is a high one, and depending on who is doing it, it can take weeks. Top Secret is harder. NATO secret is the worst.

EDIT: Carmeliasue, is that is like saying I could tell you but then I would have to kill ya?