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View Full Version : Going overseas while on DEP as a NUKE


Nicknyte
08-09-2014, 05:06 PM
Also asked on Nukeworker, in case plagiarism charges are falsely made.

Hello everyone! I wanted to ask for some advice, which is really, really situation specific, and I believe that hasn't been asked before.


I am currently approved to be a NUKE (however, I have not been given my contract yet to sign over the old one <_<. This is kinda important.)
I currently hold a secret clearance.
I want to go overseas on a vacation to visit family in Indonesia during the Eid holiday in October before I ship out, as I do not know if I will get a chance to go when I am a full fledged NUKE.

This issue is this: My recruiter does NOT want me to go overseas while I am still a "approved prospect" given, I haven't even been given the contract yet. I have done my security clearance interview regarding the position, but I already have a clearance, and I have traveled to Indonesia on it before. Will going overseas cause complications with my NUKE contract in the future, or is my recruiter freaking out over something trivial?

Spook
08-10-2014, 09:23 AM
Do what your recruiter says, seriously. I've seen guys kicked out for not listening to their recruiter. Especially with such an important contract. I'm going to guess he wants you to be there when its time for the paperwork to be finalized, Nuke positions can't be held forever. Plus, going over seas while in DEP will require you to fill out more paperwork. Nukes get chances just like anyone else to go on leave, I wouldn't worry about that too much.

FlyNavy
08-11-2014, 07:08 AM
So a couple things on this one...

In regards to your clearance: You don't actually have an active clearance at the moment. All that's happened is that you've been approved for a secret-level clearance. You clearance isn't actually activated until the SSO at your command activates it (or the school house you're at). Think about it like getting a plane ticket; You may have bought the ticket already, but that doesn't mean you've flown anywhere yet.

In regards to overseas travel: When applying for a clearance (or in your case has just been approved), overseas travel or contacts are HEAVILY scrutinized. For good reason, obviously. We don't want to give people access to classified material only to have them shoot back to their home country with all of our secrets. Now I'm not saying that this is you in anyway, but just keep in mind that's how the DoD is going to look at it. BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE I would personally have a conversation with the SSO in charge of your clearance. More than likely they are going to need you to fill out all kinds of forms (if they approve the travel).

You're not in the Navy yet, so it's not like they could just stop you. But you would be putting your job at risk by going without covering all your bases first.

One last thing to keep in mind...
You're going to be responsible for National Security information (obviously we don't need everyone knowing how we run our reactors). You need to internalize the fact that your life isn't going to be as flexible as your friends. You have a DUTY to protect the information you'll learn FOR LIFE. This means your overseas travel will need to be pre-approved while your AD, you won't be able to discuss work with your friends or family, and you always have to be careful what kind of information your're putting out there about your job and yourself. It's a lifestyle change for sure. But having clearance is an adult position with adult responsibilities that cannot be taken lightly.

/r
CTT1

Nicknyte
08-11-2014, 07:32 PM
So a couple things on this one...

In regards to your clearance: You don't actually have an active clearance at the moment. All that's happened is that you've been approved for a secret-level clearance. You clearance isn't actually activated until the SSO at your command activates it (or the school house you're at). Think about it like getting a plane ticket; You may have bought the ticket already, but that doesn't mean you've flown anywhere yet.

In regards to overseas travel: When applying for a clearance (or in your case has just been approved), overseas travel or contacts are HEAVILY scrutinized. For good reason, obviously. We don't want to give people access to classified material only to have them shoot back to their home country with all of our secrets. Now I'm not saying that this is you in anyway, but just keep in mind that's how the DoD is going to look at it. BEFORE YOU GO ANYWHERE I would personally have a conversation with the SSO in charge of your clearance. More than likely they are going to need you to fill out all kinds of forms (if they approve the travel).

You're not in the Navy yet, so it's not like they could just stop you. But you would be putting your job at risk by going without covering all your bases first.

One last thing to keep in mind...
You're going to be responsible for National Security information (obviously we don't need everyone knowing how we run our reactors). You need to internalize the fact that your life isn't going to be as flexible as your friends. You have a DUTY to protect the information you'll learn FOR LIFE. This means your overseas travel will need to be pre-approved while your AD, you won't be able to discuss work with your friends or family, and you always have to be careful what kind of information your're putting out there about your job and yourself. It's a lifestyle change for sure. But having clearance is an adult position with adult responsibilities that cannot be taken lightly.

/r
CTT1

I actually DO hold a secret clearance. I am a contractor. :P

Also, regarding being an adult, I'm 26 my friend. Just looking for some advice.

I went down the Recruiting Chain of Command (Recruiter > Chief Recruiter > Nuke Coordinator) and (Nuke) Chief stated it shouldn't be a problem. I am stoked I will be going to Indonesia for the holidays!

http://minivannews.com/files/2012/10/Eid-al-Adha.jpg

FlyNavy
08-12-2014, 06:52 AM
I actually DO hold a secret clearance. I am a contractor. :P

Also, regarding being an adult, I'm 26 my friend. Just looking for some advice.

I went down the Recruiting Chain of Command (Recruiter > Chief Recruiter > Nuke Coordinator) and (Nuke) Chief stated it shouldn't be a problem. I am stoked I will be going to Indonesia for the holidays!

http://minivannews.com/files/2012/10/Eid-al-Adha.jpg

Nick,

I didn't mean to infer that you're not mature or anything. We just get a lot of 18 year olds here that haven't had experience with clearance work before. And already being a Gov Contractor is another rarity here, so sorry if that came off salty.

That being said though, you still apply for a new clearance as a military member. You can't use your contractor clearance for work on your military job, just as say a previous AD person would need to reapply if they take a government contract after they get out. They're separate things with separate paper trails.

And hey if you're CoC is good with it, then go for it! Just keep in mind it's probably going to be brought up down the road if you need further clearance work.

/r
CTT1