cthia wrote:
That's not necessarily true - even before you start talking about things like compartmented access and need-to-know which mean that even the government clearing people for access to the most sensitive information aren't cleared to know all the information at that sensitivity level.
And alliance would have to address how security clearances for shared information would work - and often they would not simply agree to accept each other's security clearances without further review or oversight -- especially for clearances that pre-date the alliance where you might be concerned about ideological tendencies that are hostile to some members of the alliance that weren't an issue when you were only considering their loyalty to their home system.
The other countries may well insist on the right to review supporting records (interview notes, background investigation details, etc) before accepting any given person's clearance for shared alliance classified material. They might even request the government that issued the clearance do some additional investigation about alliance specific security concerns. This could be even more likely if the alliance has access to screening methods that the pre-alliance systems didn't (treecats or other more reliable lie detection methods)
At an extreme they might insist on repeating some of the security clearance process themselves.
And of course this is only step one. Even once the other systems in the alliance agree to accept someone's clearance someone still has to add them to the need-to-know list for any given project or area. I'd image that, except for purely internal items, that that would either be the system that's taking the lead in providing the intel or doing the research or its a group drawn from various allied systems. But I can't imagine either Grayson or Manticore would be willing to let the other unilaterally add even cleared people to every single classified project or area.
In other words, even if Manticore's security establishment has accepted the Top Secret Compartmentalized clearance for her armsment the process to add them to the cleared list for an eye's only Manticoran naval dispatch it going to involve discussions between Grayson and the RMN; Grayson can't do it unilaterally.
Though commanding officers usually have some leeway to provisionally override normal classified handling rules if a developing situation calls for it (though they'll have to justify it later). But I'd think allowing the armsman to stay inside the hatch rather than outside is arguably a small abuse of that customary authority.
Had a conversation with a couple of acquaintances who have government security clearances and I was informed that they have to be vetted every five years. Naive lil ole me thought it was a one time and you're done ordeal. I took their lead and researched it a bit further online and yep, England, The U.S. and other countries vet at regular intervals depending on the job, situation, exposure and risk factor.
It was explained to me that the vetting process may become even more aggressive as you are exposed to various risky conditions. Part of the vetting process may include intensive psychiatric evaluations if necessary. Depending on where and what you were exposed to, vetting can take on an entirely different "tailored" turn, e.g., if you are exposed to a region across the pond where terrorist cells run amok, you automatically become a higher risk and may be vetted to catch any rogue elements -- perhaps having been approached by said criminal cells.
Apparently there are unlimited circumstances that can increase one's ever changing risk factor and alter the size and aggressiveness of the sieve.
Appears as if Grayson's armsmen and perhaps the Maccabeus group should have been part of a consistent ongoing scheduled vetting program. Bottom line, Grayson's armsmen should have been vetted several times over by now. IMO.[/quote]
For a little over 20 years over my misspent youth Security Clearances were my bread and butter, I was trained as an assistant security manager and Special Security Officer dealing with screening and starting the investigations necessary to clear individuals for everything up to and including TS/Codeword (compartmented programs) and nuclear weapons tech.
What your friends told you about the periodic re-investigations and screenings is true, every 5 years unless additional screening is deemed necessary due to various reasons.
There are some variations from one nation to another but very similar. And again they are correct that the vetting becomes more strict for some programs or projects.
Polygraph exams can be required as part of the screening process.
In some cases a Hazardous Activity Restriction (HAR) can be imposed which can limit your travel to other nations or potentially keep you out of military missions that might subject you to capture and interrogation. While I was still on active duty we had 3 Soviet ships (cruiser, destroyer and supply ship) make port in Norfolk VA. My HAR kept me from touring any of them.
My CO was adamant, the FBI and NIS (NCIS today) was watching and photographing EVERYONE who boarded those ships, even as part of organized tours and if any of us got caught, well ... (he drew his finger across his neck while making a vaguely strangling sound.)
To say I was disappointed would be an understatement. But even while moored to the pier in Norfolk if you crossed onto the decks of any of those ships you WERE in that nation, the Soviet Union in this case. That was and still is part of international law.
Bummer.