Quote:
Originally Posted by Obviousman
That's why I said you don't know, rather than you were lying. You have only limited experience; I can assure you that my experience is much broader. I cannot speak for the US services, but in Australia getting an upgrade is quite a tedious process. Standard entry checks give a sailor a RESTRICTED clearance, and an Officer a CONFIDENTIAL clearance. You then have to be upgraded if required. That involves supplying extensive background details, and checks through the Australian Federal Police and ASIO. An upgrade takes 6 months or so. Longer for upgrade to TS. Then there are two levels of TS: TS-NV (negative vet) and TS-PV (positive vet). The PV involves interviewing people who have known you, physically checking previous addresses, going through bank records, etc. That takes about 18 months to get - far from easy. You need a TS-PV clearance for access to certain information.
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My father worked for several years (decades) as a concrete paver. Odds are fair that if you've driven on an interstate west of the Mississippi River that was redone in the last 20 years, he's had a hand in it. On company he worked for got a military contract at a base known for secrecy. This involved a background check for each member of the paving crew. This check took about 3 months and cost about $10,000. Those who passed were allowed access to the areas needed to complete the jobs. When not working they were mor or less confined to a small common area. Some of the guys had personal vehicles that were deemed to be security risks and these were not allowed on base at all. This is not a base where it likely that just anyone with even a Top Secret clearance could just pop in for a visit. It's also a place where it is very likely that all personel assigned there have a TS clearance, but are still restricted in where they can go.