Security Clearance.

[Alpheus]

I guess this is as good a place to ask this as any.  Is there a security clearance above Top Secret.  Now I know, another stupid wannabe kid asking dumb questions  :, but it's not for me.  My Father is hiring some people for his company, and one of the applicants has done government work and claims to have a clearance above Top Secret.

BS or no?

 

[SupersonicMax]

Cosmic if I remember correctly?

 

[Bianca]

Google is your friend.

From the Treasury Board:

Types of personnel screening   

SCREENING TYPE  SCREENING LEVEL  SENSITIVITY LEVEL

RELIABILITY STATUS           Basic             Non-sensitive
                                  Enhanced               Designated

SECURITY CLEARANCE   Level I               Confidential
                                    Level II                 Secret
                                    Level III               Top Secret

http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12330&section=text#sec2.3

 

[Sea King Tech]

Blank

 

[SupersonicMax]

Google is your friend.

From the Treasury Board:

Types of personnel screening   

SCREENING TYPE  SCREENING LEVEL  SENSITIVITY LEVEL

RELIABILITY STATUS           Basic             Non-sensitive
                                  Enhanced               Designated

SECURITY CLEARANCE   Level I               Confidential
                                    Level II                 Secret
                                    Level III               Top Secret

http://www.tbs-sct.gc.ca/pol/doc-eng.aspx?id=12330&section=text#sec2.3

These are Canadian Security Clearances.  There are others (ie: NATO)

 

[ark]

Cosmic if I remember correctly?

Cosmic Top Secret is a NATO classification.

For a federal sec. clearance, Top Secret - Special Access (TSSA) is as high as you can go to my knowledge.

 

[Bianca]

These are Canadian Security Clearances.  There are others (ie: NATO)

Right, I just assumed that since he said 'government work' the security checks would be done by the Feds. Just throwing in my thoughts! (Or should I say my 'professional opinion' as my job is an information officer for the government haha.) But you're right, there are higher in other organizations.

 

[Michael OLeary]

For what it's worth, from Wikipedia:

Sharing classified information between countries

When a government agency or group shares information between an agency or group of other country’s government they will generally employ a special classification scheme which both parties have previously agreed to honour. For example, sensitive information shared amongst NATO allies has five levels of security classification; from most to least classified, COSMIC TOP SECRET (CTS), FOCAL TOP SECRET (FTS), NATO SECRET (NS), NATO CONFIDENTIAL (NC), and NATO RESTRICTED (NR). A special case exists with regard to NATO UNCLASSIFIED (NU) information. This is NATO property and must not be made public without NATO permission.

Another marking, ATOMAL, is applied to U.S. RESTRICTED DATA or FORMERLY RESTRICTED DATA and United Kingdom ATOMIC information that has been released to NATO. ATOMAL information is marked COSMIC TOP SECRET ATOMAL (CTSA), NATO SECRET ATOMAL (NSA), or NATO CONFIDENTIAL ATOMAL (NCA).

In cases where a country wishes to share classified information bilaterally (or multilaterally) with a country that has a sharing agreement, the information is with the countries it can be shared with. Those countries would have to maintain the classification of the document at the level originally classified (TOP-SECRET, SECRET, etc.) with the appropriate caveat (USNZ, AUSGE, CANUK, etc.).

International organisations

    * European Commission, has 5 levels, EU TOP SECRET, EU SECRET, EU CONFIDENTIAL, EU RESTRICTED, and EU COUNCIL / COMMISSION. [3] [4] (Note that usually the French term is used)
    * NATO, has 5 levels: COSMIC TOP SECRET (CTS), FOCAL TOP SECRET (FTS), NATO SECRET (NS), NATO CONFIDENTIAL (NC), and NATO RESTRICTED (NR)
    * OCCAR, a European defence organisation, has three levels of classification: OCCAR SECRET, OCCAR CONFIDENTIAL, OCCAR RESTRICTED. [5].

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_information

 

[dustinm]

For a federal sec. clearance, Top Secret - Special Access (TSSA) is as high as you can go to my knowledge.

Out of curiosity, is "Top Secret" the same as having "Special Access"? Because, for instance, Communicator Research Operator requires a Top Secret clearance, while Intelligence Operator is listed as requiring "Level 3, Special Access."

Particular job requirements aside, do these refer to the same clearance, or is "Special Access" a more stringent form of Top Secret clearance?

 

[gcclarke]

Out of curiosity, is "Top Secret" the same as having "Special Access"? Because, for instance, Communicator Research Operator requires a Top Secret clearance, while Intelligence Operator is listed as requiring "Level 3, Special Access."

Particular job requirements aside, do these refer to the same clearance, or is "Special Access" a more stringent form of Top Secret clearance?

Level III is the same as Top Secret, levels I & II being Confidential and Secret respectively. Special Access is above and beyond a Level II clearance. I'm not particularly clear on the details, but I believe it deals not with granting access to information classified higher than Top Secret, but granting physical access to areas which are highly controlled.

 

[PuckChaser]

There are higher clearances, actually called Caveats that you can have once you have your Special Access (SA). Most, if not all, have classified names.

Neo Cortex: Comms Research pers require Secret to do their QL3 part 1, and Top Secret, Special Access to do their QL3 part 2 and become employable in their trade.

 

[421_434_226]

I believe that "gclarke" is correct with regards to the "SA", in my place of work there are personnel who have higher security clearances than I do but are not allowed into certain areas that I work in, but I have access to their areas of work,  ;D

 

[PuckChaser]

2 things you need to see classified material are: The required clearance, and a need to know. If you don't have a need to know, the doors get locked. TSSA isn't a skeleton key that gets you anywhere you want in secure buildings.

 

[bran]

I heard that to be eligible for a tour you must have a level 1 (maybe 2) security clearance, is this true?

 

[dapaterson]

Certain equipment you would likely be required to operate requires Level 2 clearance.

It may be possible to deploy with Level 1, but to my knowledge most postitions require Level 2 as a minimum.

 

[X-mo-1979]

Heck I have deployed twice with confidential!

And yes there are levels of top secret with letter/number combo's IIRC?

 

[gcclarke]

To deploy on a tour you require a security clearance equal to or higher than the required clearance for the position you'll be filling. A quick glance at the CEFCOM intranet site revealed some that required a Level I clearance (Confidential) and some that required a Level III (NATO in the one case I saw) Clearance.

I suppose someday there could exist some positions that could both be considered on "tour" and only require an enhanced reliability check. But frankly I doubt it.

 

[bran]

Certain equipment you would likely be required to operate requires Level 2 clearance.

It may be possible to deploy with Level 1, but to my knowledge most postitions require Level 2 as a minimum.

So with that being said, how does one get a level 2 clearance, and what does a level 2 check include?

 

[X-mo-1979]

I was a Leopard 2 commander.

 

[dapaterson]

Short version:

Level 2 requires reporting on the past ten years: employment / schooling / residences.  Reporting on next-of-kin as well - their date of birth, address, employer.