Can having delinquent debt of about 2500 dollars deny me a military secret clearance?
A person’s credit history of current and past debt is a very big part of a determination for access to classified material. All areas of the investigation are scrutinized to determine if they have anything adverse in their life that could result in their committing treason – such as selling classified material to foreign powers. It has happened enough times in the past that it is a very real concern and the guideline of “better safe than sorry” certainly applies – particularly in not granting clearances to people with a history of financial difficulty. Most acts of treason are committed for monetary gain and no other reason. Also, their irresponsibility and dishonesty in handling debts indicates that they would probably be equally irresponsible and untrustworthy in their handling of classified material.
