Clearance Reactivation

SECURITY CLEARANCE Q&A
1

Good afternoon.

I am prior military, got out in 2014. I had a SECRET at the time which was re-investigated in/about April 2011 (not sure when it completed).

I am considering applying for some jobs that may require a clearance. It was my understanding that they technically don’t “expire” but only become “innactive” or “due for reinvestigation,” but that more than a two year gap in employment requires reinvestigation in any case.

My concern is I have bounced around a lot since I left the military, enrolled in two colleges (got one degree, working on second) and literally nobody knew my name at my last two residences. My current neighbors do know my name, but that is about it. I am not working other than school, professors would know me only slightly, etc. So…if I’m supposed to give recent references they will have nothing other than they never called the cops on me. I do have older “friends from college” type references, and my old military bosses wont have anything bad to say.

A lesser concern is many of my fellow students are/were foreign nationals and I do study with them at times. There is one at least who I will list as a contact because I associate with him quite a lot, and frankly I consider him to be someone I know. But the others–I don’t want to open a can of worms where I say I’m not even sure their full name or what country they are from, they are just “Frank” from South Korea, stuff like that.

Other than the obvious “just be honest and complete as you can,” I’d like to be forewarned whether this will sail through on the nod or whether I need to expect problems.

2

If you got out in 2014, officially you will have to start from scratch on your clearance. This can easily take a year or more even though you have been cleared in the past. There are some here who will tell you that they have gotten reinstatements for people who were out for more than two years but I can’t speak to that.

Do your best with the references that are requested. Your military command is excellent and if nobody knew you at some addresses, again, do the best that you can. If there’s nobody who knew you go with the rental office and let them pull your records. If what you provide isn’t good enough or can’t be worked you will be asked for more/better info.

As for your fellow students, at my previous job I worked with, literally, hundreds of foreign nationals. I didn’t list a single one. When the investigator asked me about it, I said, “I worked with them. I didn’t eat lunch with them and I didn’t socialize outside of work. I didn’t ask who was a citizen and who wasn’t.” The investigator didn’t bat an eye and told me not to worry about it. List ones that you know. If you don’t know their names or where they are from, I don’t think that you are close enough to list them.