U.S. Security Clearance (Secret / Top Secret)
A security clearance is a determination that you are eligible to access classified national security information. Many aerospace and defense roles require an active clearance, making it one of the most valuable credentials in the industry.
Issued / Governed By
Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) and sponsoring federal agencies
Time to Earn
3-12+ months for the investigation and adjudication process
Estimated Cost
Paid for by the sponsoring employer or agency (no cost to the applicant)
Who needs this credential?
Defense aerospace engineers, cleared software developers, program managers on classified contracts, intelligence analysts, and contractor personnel on DoD/IC programs.
Prerequisites
- U.S. citizenship (in nearly all cases)
- A sponsoring employer or government agency—you cannot apply on your own
- A 'need to know' tied to a specific classified role or contract
- Ability to pass a background investigation
How to get certified
- 1
Get sponsored
Receive a conditional job offer or contract assignment that requires a clearance. The employer initiates the process.
- 2
Submit the SF-86
Complete the Standard Form 86 (Questionnaire for National Security Positions) detailing your history of residences, employment, foreign contacts, finances, and more.
- 3
Background investigation
Investigators verify your information through records checks, interviews with references, and (for higher levels) a personal subject interview.
- 4
Adjudication and determination
Your case is reviewed against the federal adjudicative guidelines, resulting in a grant, denial, or request for additional information.
Clearance levels
Clearances correspond to the sensitivity of information you may access:
- Confidential: Lowest level, reinvestigated every 15 years
- Secret: Most common in defense aerospace, reinvestigated every 10 years
- Top Secret (TS): High sensitivity, reinvestigated every 5 years
- TS/SCI: Top Secret with Sensitive Compartmented Information access, often requiring a polygraph
Continuous Vetting
The government has largely moved from periodic reinvestigations to Continuous Vetting (CV), which automatically monitors cleared personnel for relevant changes on an ongoing basis.
Maintaining marketability
An active clearance is portable between employers as long as it stays current. Cleared professionals command a significant salary premium, so keeping a clearance active is a major career asset.
Related career roles
Always verify current requirements with the issuing authority before you begin.
DCSA Personnel Security