Security clearance process
All NAVSEA employees are required to hold a security clearance. Contrary to popular belief, the security clearance process does not have to be scary or intimidating. It is simply a process designed to make sure you will be a trustworthy employee who does not pose a risk to national security.
In the Department of War, there are three basic clearance levels: Confidential, Secret and Top Secret. The level of clearance determines how much information you need to provide and how many steps you must complete.
The best piece of advice we can give is this: Be honest. False or misleading information on the questionnaire or patterns of dishonesty in your background are considered red flags.
If you are offered a position at NAVSEA and don’t already have a clearance, you will complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire asks you where you have lived and worked, attended school and traveled overseas. We will also ask you if you have been convicted of any crimes.
Depending on the clearance level required for your job, we may ask you about your finances, mental health, unauthorized or illegal use of computer information systems, as well as drug and alcohol use.
After you’ve answered all the questions, an investigator will look into the information you shared to assess the truthfulness and completeness of your answers. If your job requires you to hold the highest Top Secret clearance level, we will ask you to take a polygraph exam. Very few NAVSEA positions require a polygraph exam.
We will use the results of that investigation to determine your eligibility for a security clearance.
You must be a U.S. citizen to obtain a security clearance. Beyond that, this is not an easy question to answer. You should not assume that something in your past will disqualify you from getting a security clearance.
The investigation and adjudication process will look at your entire record, the good and bad, to determine if you qualify for a job at NAVSEA. Honesty is the best approach during a clearance investigation.
A security clearance makes you eligible for a NAVSEA job. It can also help you get other jobs in the federal government that require a security clearance. If you intend to make a career in the federal government, holding a security clearance is a major advantage.
The answer depends on the clearance level required for your job and the complexity of your circumstances. In general, most NAVSEA security clearance processes take 30 days, though some complicating factors may draw out the process. Most NAVSEA employees require a Secret clearance, which is not as involved as a Top Secret clearance.
Other factors that will extend the length of the process include:
- Extensive foreign travel
- Drug or alcohol abuse
- Criminal record
- Personal behavior that appears to advocate on behalf of foreign governments or extremist ideology