[Howlin]

Types of security clearances:

The scope of investigative work needed to grant a security clearance depends on the level of clearance being requested. There are three basic levels of security classification:

CONFIDENTIAL:
This refers to material, which, if improperly disclosed, could be reasonably expected to cause some measurable damage to the national security. The vast majority of military personnel are given this very basic level of clearance. This level needs to be reinvestigated every fifteen years.*
SECRET:
The unauthorized disclosure of secret information could be expected to cause serious damage to the national security. This level is reinvestigated every ten years.*
TOP SECRET:
Individuals with this clearance have access to information or material that could be expected to cause exceptionally grave damage to the national security if it was released without authorization. This level needs to be reinvestigated every five years.*
* Reinvestigations are more important than the original investigation because those individuals who have held clearances longer are more likely to be working with increasingly critical information.


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[BIGLOOK]

Types of security clearances

There are others above those on the list.

[p23185]

There is more to it than these three, although that is all that the DoD Security Manual refers to. Sometimes is you are dealing in TS the mere information is not to even be acknowledged. For Ts there are also SCI criteria. DOE issues a "Q" clearance for involvement with certain nuke technologies and material. NSA has coded SAP programs and two-man requirements for certain key material handling. There are others. I am not sure what clearance level Congresscritters get since they are not contractors, but NSA has stated publicly that no one in congress is cleared to hear anything that "Treasonous Whilstle blower, Leaker Tice" knows about the SAP programs he had access to. Tice is not going to be able to testify about much to Congress - he is going to have to work through DoD and DOJ.