I am an Army ROTC Cadet (MS4, senior) and I have around 170 days until I commission & I still don’t have my security clearance required to commission. I signed ROTC contract as a Junior in 2017, it has been almost a year and my program told me they still haven not heard anything back on the status of my sercurity clearance. I was not born in the U.S., but I received U.S. citizenship already and renounced the citizenship of my birth country. My program told me they usually give Secret clearances to ROTC cadets but not sure why mine takes so long and I have no information on it other than just keep waiting. Well I can’t just keep waiting since I won’t be able to commission without a secret clearance. Does anybody know anything about this situation? Or if you have the same situation?
I was commissioned many years ago and the only reason I had to apply for a clearance was after I got branched and it was a requirement. But I did hear a few years back that they put all cadets in for a secret clearance.
Do you have to have the clearance in order to get your commission, or to get orders to go to BOLC or whatever they call it these days?
Hang in there, you’ve still got nearly six months. I know that doesn’t help much but there’s not much else you can do at this point.
Thanks. They require all cadets to get Secert Clerance in order to commission now. I don’t have that and been waiting for a year.
There are a few things that might be slowing your clearance - I don’t know your situation, but here are some common slowdowns.
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Did you list your school residence or your parent’s residence on your SF86 as your most recent residence. ROTC cases often go “home” and then have to be redirected once an investigator determines your location. (this is very common with ROTC and college students).
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Are any of your listed relatives still foreign nationals? Did you provide the correct naturalization number, date issued, and issue location.
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Your case/school might be in a high tempo area and is still waiting assignment (being naturalized - you may require a Subject interview).
There are other reasons, but these are a quick quess.
After I get contracted with ROTC, my program told me they have everything they need and they just need a copy of my naturalization and for me to renounce my citizenship of my birth country and I provided both documents. They didn’t mention SF86 at all. I enlisted into the Army first and my first background investigation was conducted by the Army for me to go to basic training and the decision is “no determination made”. My ROTC program is aware of it and they didn’t tell me to fill out SF86. Do I need to submit SF86 in this case?
I’ve seen this mentioned on forums a couple of times and don’t know what it means. Is it negative? Is it an adverse action? They let you go to basic and enter advanced ROTC so I guess it is not totally negative.
As I understand it, it is a “neutral” determination, meaning non punitive, but not cleared. I agree with BI above as I see it all the time on addresses for college kids of my client, and making sure all the addresses and dates line up is a bear for some. Providing actual dorm numbers proves difficult. I would agree being foreign born is likely delay. Possibly they waited for the naturalization, and renounced citizenship before once again considering. I would certainly speak with the chain of command and determine if someone merely forgot to process an SF86/Equip application for clearance. Ask your classmates and other squadron members if they filled one out. Honestly I do not recall filling one out an initial SF86 for the Air Force many years ago (too man years ago), yet I was cleared Secret in 1982. I remember all the reinvestigation ones and TS ones since. And certainly the Polys.
Salute Squirrel! Tip of the hat for serving.
Back in 2000, I don’t remember what form I signed but I was granted a Secret clearance within 30 days while in ROTC. Never got to use it for a long time. I couldn’t go to Fort Lewis for my MS3->MS4 training without it. Maybe the rules have changed. Certainly, you are going to have problems at Officer Basic Course if you have to be exposed to any Classified information. We did once at OBC.
Salute to you as well Compsci36!