Acquisition of Security Clearance [ How to, Levels ]

Before we proceed with describing what a security clearance is, it is important to recognize the definition of each individual words in the phrase security clearance. So what is security, and what is a clearance? Security is a term that used as a means of defining the act of protecting or safeguarding a certain object, person, property or information.

Clearance is a term used to describe a set of requirements one must comply with in order to progress to the next task. Combining the two words, we can now better understand the phrase security clearance, which simply means the requirements one must submit or acquire in order to be allowed entry or access to a certain thing of value, such as materials and information.

Security clearance forms are a common tool in areas where security is of the highest importance. One example would be intelligence agencies tasked with the procurement of intelligence that will be used to keep the public safe and aware.

How to Acquire a Security Clearance

The acquisition or procurement of a security clearance is typically a tedious task to do due to the fact that it takes a significant period of time to complete the act of acquiring a security clearance. The task will take even longer if you do not know how to get a security clearance. However, there is no need to worry because we have some guidelines on how one is to acquire a security clearance.

Take note that different levels of security will often require you to complete more requirements, but for this example, we will be discussing the most basic level of security clearance which is called confidential level. To begin, you will need to:

• Approach the security personnel of the area you wish to gain security clearance from in order to ask them for a security clearance form. Although there are several sample security clearance forms available online, it is best to use whatever form the security personnel is using to have the process progress more smoothly, as well as will allow you to ask in better detail the needed requirements.

• After acquiring the security clearance form from the security personnel, you can now begin completing the necessary requirements. The requirements are typically your identification cards, as well as a statement from your local law enforcement. In some cases, a copy of your birth certificate or any supporting document that can confirm your legal citizenship may be needed.

• After submitting the security clearance requirements to the security personnel in charge, you must submit yourself to a background screening or investigation to confirm your intentions as well as the validity of your credentials. The results of this background check will be the deciding factor in the completion of your security clearance application.

What Are the Different Levels of Security?

When it comes to security, the best method of securing information would be to compartmentalize the information into several categories that would require certain levels of security clearance to access. There are three levels of security clearance available. These are: confidential, secret and top secret. Each level of security is used as a means of identifying the level of importance of the information, and one has different requirements in order to obtain access.