All US military branches require strict background checks and a detailed written response for anything “questionable”. If they’re alluding someone dropped the ball, why not on his superiors?
Secret adds an interview with questions pertaining to different things that could be used for extortion and a credit check. It boils down to a few things: are you a perverted removed; are you in the kind of debt where someone says they’ve got a job for you; and are you involved with any far right or left anti US government groups.
TS SCI adds a more extensive interview, fingerprint registry with the FBI, and multiple character interviews with people who’ve known you for a long time. Depending on the SCI compartment and or the resources available, you will eventually get a polygraph as well.
The people who get interviewed also have their records run, and it’s used to sus out if the affor mentioned interview concerns. They also check watch lists for your name and the names of your character witnesses.
All that is to say, none of this work checks your mental health, any of the nuance of your political beliefs, and doesn’t touch on your personal convictions. The security clearance system just isn’t meant to to consider this.
Nonsense, the science is completely settled, they even show it in action movies and it’s in Tom Clancy novels. You think Law & Order would lie about such a thing?!!
The higher Australian security clearances go into these details and more (e.g. hobbies, mental health, sexual interests and previous relationships etc.)
The questions themselves are pretty dumb though, e.g. “have you ever heard voices telling you to set fire to a building”
Yeah, it’s pretty funny. They do all this Freudian questioning that’s not at all based on evidence based research. And the person asking and interpreting, if they hold a degree at all, has no background or training related to it.
“Strict” is doing a whole lot of heavy lifting here. Nobody cares/knows if you read “The Conquest of Bread” once or a book of MLK’s writings.
His superiors aren’t the ones doing background checks, that happens during enlistment. Once you’re in a unit, unless your superiors actively think you’re up to something (or want a reason to chapter you out of the military) nobody is pre-emptively investigating you.
Was it during the enlistment process or did you make it through the initial paperwork, get through the MEPS station (or whatever your country’s version of it is), get through basic training, get through advanced individual training (actually learning your specific military specialty), get assigned to your first unit, and THEN get kicked out?
I mean, if you walk in with a swastika tatoo on your forehead, sure. But you don’t have to tell anybody that you read Das Capital every night before bed.
I was actually told that if you attempt suicide and don’t succeed, you get charged and thrown into the brig for exactly that. However, the military is full of made up bullshit that just gets repeated over and over, nobody knows what’s true.
It’s actually illegal for civvys, too. It’s so that if there’s someone suspected of attempting suicide, the police can break into their house and prevent kill them before they do the deed.
I once met a guy with Mao pic on his wall but also he had a security clearance for his job*. I don’t think they really care that much unless you’ve actually done something.
All US military branches require strict background checks and a detailed written response for anything “questionable”. If they’re alluding someone dropped the ball, why not on his superiors?
Is suicide a crime?
Only if you have a clearance. Rank and file will just get a quick check for state or fed warrants and criminal records.
He had secret clearance he was working backend IT
These days, basically everyone gets a Secret clearance unless they don’t qualify.
Secret adds an interview with questions pertaining to different things that could be used for extortion and a credit check. It boils down to a few things: are you a perverted removed; are you in the kind of debt where someone says they’ve got a job for you; and are you involved with any far right or left anti US government groups.
TS SCI adds a more extensive interview, fingerprint registry with the FBI, and multiple character interviews with people who’ve known you for a long time. Depending on the SCI compartment and or the resources available, you will eventually get a polygraph as well. The people who get interviewed also have their records run, and it’s used to sus out if the affor mentioned interview concerns. They also check watch lists for your name and the names of your character witnesses.
All that is to say, none of this work checks your mental health, any of the nuance of your political beliefs, and doesn’t touch on your personal convictions. The security clearance system just isn’t meant to to consider this.
Might as well do a crystal ball or tarot reading, it’s about as useful and at least the aesthetics are nicer
Nonsense, the science is completely settled, they even show it in action movies and it’s in Tom Clancy novels. You think Law & Order would lie about such a thing?!!
The higher Australian security clearances go into these details and more (e.g. hobbies, mental health, sexual interests and previous relationships etc.)
The questions themselves are pretty dumb though, e.g. “have you ever heard voices telling you to set fire to a building”
Yeah, it’s pretty funny. They do all this Freudian questioning that’s not at all based on evidence based research. And the person asking and interpreting, if they hold a degree at all, has no background or training related to it.
“Strict” is doing a whole lot of heavy lifting here. Nobody cares/knows if you read “The Conquest of Bread” once or a book of MLK’s writings.
His superiors aren’t the ones doing background checks, that happens during enlistment. Once you’re in a unit, unless your superiors actively think you’re up to something (or want a reason to chapter you out of the military) nobody is pre-emptively investigating you.
Personal and direct anecdotes, perhaps we were just flagged by chance
Was it during the enlistment process or did you make it through the initial paperwork, get through the MEPS station (or whatever your country’s version of it is), get through basic training, get through advanced individual training (actually learning your specific military specialty), get assigned to your first unit, and THEN get kicked out?
Enlistment process required explaining all questionable affiliations, any religious connections that are not mainstream, and all tattoos
I mean, if you walk in with a swastika tatoo on your forehead, sure. But you don’t have to tell anybody that you read Das Capital every night before bed.
Maybe they’ll file it under “damage of military assets”
I was actually told that if you attempt suicide and don’t succeed, you get charged and thrown into the brig for exactly that. However, the military is full of made up bullshit that just gets repeated over and over, nobody knows what’s true.
It’s actually illegal for civvys, too. It’s so that if there’s someone suspected of attempting suicide, the police can break into their house and
preventkill them before they do the deed.Kind of a convoluted way to allow for interventions, you’d think they’d just make it legal as part of their duties.
Also, I can’t get the image of that pig holding a gun on the airman self immolating.
I once met a guy with Mao pic on his wall but also he had a security clearance for his job*. I don’t think they really care that much unless you’ve actually done something.
*this guy was weird
Why did you flag your account as a bot? Might want to disable that in settings, some people block all bot accounts.
I’m a bot, block away please
Yes actually, in the US suicide is considered a crime and at least gets you put in grippy socks jail if you even show obvious signs of considering it.
i had red grippy socks, wish they gave us slippers :/
What a fun country