SECURITY CLEARANCE 101: Why it takes so long to get a security clearance to go overseas?

April 10, 2022 | Hiring Information

When you apply for a security clearance you find the process has become a little longer than in the past. Some clearances may take up to a year or more. You may find yourself frequently asking your security officer for the status of your security clearance. And you may find yourself wondering what those statuses mean. Here are the most common security clearance statuses your security officer will see in the system of record:

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Action pending
Eligibility pending
Loss of jurisdiction
No determination made
Denied
Revoked

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Action pending is the most common security clearance status. It’s what you’ll hear while your clearance is in the investigation stage. Unfortunately, as of today, action pending may mean your investigation is at nearly any stage in the process – from first submitted to nearly completed. A new initiative to create intuitive, updated dashboards for employers awaiting determinations is in the works – but for now, security officers are limited in what they can tell you about what is going on with your investigation. In general, that’s because they simply don’t know.

Eligibility pending is the status when the investigation is complete, but an adjudicative decision hasn’t been made. The National Background Investigations Bureau and now Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency have made significant headway in reducing the size of the security clearance backlog – but adjudication timelines have continued to creep upward as more cases are pushed from investigation to adjudication. While adjudication should be complete in a matter of days, over the past year several individuals have reported adjudication timelines that have extended well over a year.

Loss of jurisdiction is security clearance limbo. It applies if you’re fired for cause, and a red flag was placed on your security clearance before you departed. If your security clearance is under a loss of jurisdiction status, you will need to work with your current security officer or a future employer to address the issues.

Finally, if your security clearance was denied or revoked, that status will be indicated in your security clearance system of record. Denial or revocation isn’t the last word, however. If your clearance is denied, you may reapply for a cleared position after a year has passed. Depending upon the reason for a security clearance revocation, you may also be able to prove a change in character, reliability, and trustworthiness that would allow you to reapply and obtain clearance in the future.

Why does your security clearance status matter? It’s important to know where you’re at in the process. It’s easy to feel powerless when trying to get a clearance, but knowledge is power. The more you know, the more you can improve your chances of a successful determination.

Living and working in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

April 9, 2022 | Hiring Information

Saudi Arabia

Living in Saudi Arabia offers contractors and expat employees and their families the opportunity to discover a new country and culture. The conveniences of everyday life, including modern housing, schools, healthcare, and shopping, are all conveniently located in company-operated communities. Recreational activities in communities are many and include golf, swimming, sailing, horseback riding, and more.

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Military Veterans find second career with private security companies

March 30, 2022 | Hiring Information, OVERSEAS INTEL

It’s well known throughout the military that what you earn while in uniform is nothing compared to what you could be earning working overseas for a private security contractor, otherwise known as a private military contractor.

Although major combat operations have ended in Afghanistan, the need for these security contractors throughout the world will always exist.

Many veterans separating from the military are interested in working for private security companies overseas. But before you apply, you should know a little bit about what you’re getting into.

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Private security companies made headlines for both good and bad reasons during the Iraq and Afghanistan wars. But even with the bad news, I speak with many veterans today who still have great interest in working for one of the many firms offering jobs throughout the world.

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■ Salary: The annual pay offered by some of these companies can go well over $100,000. That sounds fantastic — especially when you consider most of it will be tax-free while you’re actually working overseas. But don’t think earning this kind of salary will be a walk in the park.

■ Work schedule: For the most part, you will not have a regular 9-to-5 schedule with weekends off. Back when listening to the CSA pitch, we heard about 12-hour shifts, six days on, one day off, and a one-year contract. Those conditions are not unusual.

■ Living quarters: CSA offered condo-type living quarters, but the problem for me was the location — off base. Pulling security for the living quarters was a Kuwaiti force, not our own guys. Some security contractors work on U.S. installations, but it’s quite possible that you might work, and live, off base.

■ Environment: Don’t expect a tropical resort; you could be anywhere in the world. And it’s quite likely that you could be working in a volatile region.

■ Vacation and other benefits: CSA was offering a four-week vacation and a free flight to Europe for R&R. But when it came time to head back home, I would have been expected to pay my own way. But you should expect such jobs to offer some sort of vacation, as well as health and life insurance.

■ Rules of engagement: In 2007, Congress amended the Uniform Code of Military Justice to allow U.S. civilians working for the U.S. military in Iraq, Afghanistan, or other “contingency operation” areas to be subject to the UCMJ. Previously, contractors were subject to the UCMJ only in times of declared wars.

Make no mistake, working for a private security contractor has its perks and can get you started on the right foot after the military. Just be aware that the high salary could come at a cost since the job could put you back in an austere combat zone.

If being a private security contractor is what you choose to do, make sure to ask plenty of questions to gain a better understanding and be well-prepared to take on a new challenge that will most definitely not be your run-of-the-mill desk job.