WHAT ARE THE DIFFERENT KINDS OF PERSONAL CLEARANCES?
The three most common classifications of clearances are Confidential, Secret and Top Secret. There are other clearances that can be issued, but these three are the ones most often issued. The higher the level of clearance granted, the greater the scrutiny that will be given to someone seeking to receive or retain that level of clearance. An important thing to note, however, is that the substantive adjudication of the clearances will be the same regardless of the level of clearance under consideration. In other words, if the government has concerns about issuing a clearance, the clearance will more likely be denied, than downgraded. The most visible difference between the adjudication of the various levels of clearance is the breadth and depth of the background investigation. The actual application of the adjudicative criteria will be the same without regard to the level of clearance under consideration. In addition to “clearances,” however, there is another level of access to classifie
The three most common classifications of clearances are Confidential, Secret and Top Secret. There are other clearances that can be issued, but these three are the ones most often issued. The higher the level of clearance granted, the greater the scrutiny that will be given to someone seeking to receive or retain that level of clearance. An important thing to note, however, is that the substantive adjudication of the clearances will be the same regardless of the level of clearance under consideration. In other words, if the government has concerns about issuing a clearance, the clearance will more likely be denied, than downgraded. The most visible difference between the adjudication of the various levels of clearance is the breadth and depth of the background investigation. The actual application of the adjudicative criteria will be the same without regard to the level of clearance under consideration. In addition to “clearances,” however, there is another level of access to classifie
