Expert: Cynthia Bedell - 7/27/2008

Question
QUESTION: As an Active COlonel I am sure you maintain a TS as I do as an intelligence analyst. I have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq (currently in Iraq) and have just crosed my 5 years in service. I am a National Guard Soldier from Idaho and have been denied active duty to transfer by the TAG for crossing over to the Air Force, Navy and Army in an active duty capacity. My Guard contract is over in July of 09 and my question would be about what companies could I look into for a civilian job with my clearance level so that I can retire from the Guard and if I choose at that point join up into a different branch as an officer as I have nearly completed my BS degree. Thank you for your assistance.

Very Respectfully.

ANSWER: Dear Matt --

Please clarify your question for me.

Do you want to leave the military and go to a company that has need for former Soldiers with TS clearances?

Or

Do you want to leave the Guard and go to another branch of service to be on active duty?

I am afraid I cannot determine your goal from your question.  

Thank you for your service.



---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Ma'am,

My question is difficult to explain. I do not want out of the military at all. I have tried 3 times to get a conditional release and I have been denied 3 times. I have been trying to go active duty. When I finish this rotation I will have 5 and a half years in service and 40+ months of that time is Active Duty Service. What I am looking for is a Civilian job utilizing my clearance as I am not employed full time with the National Guard upon my return. I wish to have a job to carry me through the end of my contract so that I may be discharged from the Idaho Army National Guard and then I would Enlist in the Active duty side of the house or if I have my degree at a point that I can do OCS and feel that would be a better option I will persue that course and become an Active Duty Officer. Just trying to find a job to round out the rest of my current contract as I have bills and a family to take care of when I return home.

Very Respectfully.

Answer
Dear Matt --

We should have a way to get you onto active duty as soon as you redeploy, but I will have to research it.  Please write me again, about this aspect of your question, if you do not hear back from me in two weeks.

I am not sure of jobs in the Idaho area that require a TS, and also need the skills you have as an MI analyst.  You might try the Idaho National Engineering Laboratory to see if they have jobs that need your level of clearance.  These jobs would probably be security manager jobs, not analyst jobs.  You can check out their website at:
https://inlportal.inl.gov/portal/server.pt?open=512&objID=255&mode=2

Good luck to you.