Expert: Rod Powers - 11/7/2007

Question
Hi Rod,
First I'd like to thank you for providing so much unbiased information about the military.  It's been invaluable for my boyfriend and me.  (I'm planning to go in as an officer after I graduate in May, and he's planning on enlisting in the next few months.)  
Here's my problem:  My boyfriend insists that, while it's very possible to get caught lying about medical history or a criminal record, there is "no way" that anyone can find out that he's been a regular pot smoker for the past 2 years as long as he can pass a urinalysis at MEPS/once he gets to basic.  (He quit a few months ago.)  He got a passing score on the DLAB, and wants to go to DLI.  I've checked, and he will require a Top Secret security clearance for the navy.  His recruiter told him, without actually telling him to lie, that any admission to drug use would more than likely disqualify him, so he lied to his recruiter and intends to lie at MEPS and on the security clearance application.  I'm pretty sure this is a terrible idea, but I need help convincing him that it is very possible that he will be found out and, at very least, dishonorably discharged.  If you could give me any additional information, I would really appreciate it.

Thanks,
Sophia

Answer
Hi Sophia,

This is a hard question to answer. If he admits to marijuana use more than 20 times in his lifetime, he will probably be disqualified from becoming a linguist, or any Air Force job that requires a Top Secret Security Clearance. That much is pretty much true, as it would require a waiver to enlist in the Air Force, and the current policy is to automatically disqualify new recruits from TOP SECRET jobs, if they have an approved moral or drug waiver.

However, if he's honest about this, while he probably would not get a "top secret" job, right off the bat, there is a good chance he could be approved to cross-train into such a job, after four (or so years) of honorable Air Force service.

The entire purpose of the security clearance process is to determine whether or not one can be entrusted to safeguard secrets which, if disclosed, could damage our Nation's National Security. Of all the clearance levels, TOP SECRET is the highest level, and it means that those with a TOP SECRET clearance are given knowledge of secrets, which -- if disclosed -- could cause "grave damage" to the National Security of the United States.

Obviously, when deciding who should and who should not be entrusted with such secrets, "honesty" is a huge factor. If one thinks it's okay to commit a felony by lying in order to get into the Military (i.e., one thinks it's okay to commit a felony for their own personal benefit), what's to keep that same person from committing another felony, by selling secrets to some foreign government, for their own personal benefit. Or (more probable), if a foreign power finds out about the lie, they can then blackmail the member to provide secret information, in order that their "secret" not be revielled.

A "Top Secret" is the highest possible level of clearance. Because of that, it means that the Military not only checks background crimina/arrest records, but they will also send a private (contract) investigator out to interview people in his past -- family, friends, co-workers, teachers, etc.

If any of his answers on his enlistment documents or his security clearance questionaire forms differ from the answers the private investigators find, that will cause them to dig deeper. It may even cause him to be subject to a polygraph (lie detector) test.

In any event, the security clearance could be denied, which would then result in disqualification from his job, and he may spend the remainder of his Air Force enlistment period in a job that doesn't require a clearance (such as being a cook). A "dishonorable discharge" is probably not likely, but spending three or four years as a cook is likely, if he chooses to lie about his qualifications and is going to undergo a Top Secret background investigation.

For more information about the United State Military, feel free to visit my U.S. Military Information Site at: http://usmilitary.about.com Hope this helps!

Rod Powers
http://usmilitary.about.com