Here is a little backround info. Im from Ireland, I moved to the US over a year ago and have since joind the Army as an Infantryman. My reasoning for this is because I want to go for special forces eventually, taking this route would give me necessary experience and training for spec ops selection.
Before I came to the US I got a DUI (I know, very stupid). When I told my recruiter this he told me not to say anything because they cant track that information, as it was in a different country. S thats what I did, I kept my mouth closed and successfully joined the Army.
Here is my issue. I need a secret security clerance to be eligible for special forces. From what Ive heard security clearences are conducted the same way in the military as they are in civilian world.
Would whomever is conducting my security clearance find out about my DUI in Ireland? Would they contact my old school and ex-local police station in Ireland?
Regarding my question I would also like to add that I was arrested for driving under the influence of alcohol and driving without insurance. I do not drink anymore. And honestly do know it was a very irresponsible thing to do.
The reason I lied was because my recruiter really scared me into it, but I guess that is just an excuse.
Would it be better for me to tell whoever is doing my backround check? I am afraid that not coming foward about the situation before I joined will mean I will not get a clerance and even worse, I fear I could be discharged from the army for fraudulent enlistment if I do.
Could somebody give me some advice on what to do, I would very much appreciate it.
My advice is to disclose everything you have stated in your post, to include the recruiter. If you do manage entry into the SF then at some point you will need an even higher level of clearance and would have to continue the charade. The DUI itself is not an issue, and the reasons you did not disclose it previously can be mitigated if you voluntarily come forth with it, but continuing to hide it will eventually spell doom.
No, I am telling you it is the right thing to do. Generally, background investigations do not consist of checks outside of the U.S. unless you were a military service member overseas, in which case they will ping the U.S. Embassy to see if they can find any derogatory information with the Host Nation. It is quite likely the DUI will never see the light of day unless someone you may have mentioned it to is interviewed as a source and brings it up (which has been known to happen). The risk and decision is yours to take, just remember that you don’t know what the future holds and if you may ever need a TS/SCI or poly down the road.
That you very much for your reply, you have been tremendously helpful. One last question, Hypothetically if I did make it into SF and later down the road needed a TS/SCI and I told the truth on the polygraph about the DUI, would they take action to punish me for not telling them sooner and possibly kick me out of the Army?
It would be an issue because they would go back and look at all of your SCAs that you submitted previously to see if it was disclosed. The issue then is material falsification and lack of candor. What they would do about it regarding an action taken is entirely up to them but can include denial of TS/SCI up to discharge.