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Thread: US Troops are being disqualified from overseas duty!

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    Member Habermill's Avatar
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    Thumbs down US Troops are being disqualified from overseas duty!

    Security Clearances Revoked for Excessive Debt
    by Wayne Olson
    October 28, 2006

    According to Associated Press, thousands of U.S. troops are being disqualified from overseas duty because they are considered security risks.

    In some cases disqualification is owing to criminal activity, uncertain allegiance, or ill health. An increasingly common reason for lost security clearance is debt. Depending on the military branch, when service members’ debt payments are 30 to 40 percent of their salary, security clearances are revoked.

    The concern is that a soldier with extreme debt might sell secrets or equipment to the enemy. Also, focus on meeting financial obligations, such as making the next house payment, could be a dangerous distraction for someone facing combat. Data obtained by AP from the Navy, Marines, and Air Force revealed an alarming trend. From 2002 to 2005, the number of security clearances canceled for financial reasons jumped ninefold to 2,654. Data from the Army was not obtainable.

    Why does this growing problem with debt exist? It is not a deliberate attempt to stay out of harm’s way, say military officials. It is attributed to other factors, a key one being easy access to payday lenders that charge very high interest rates.

    Ironically, neither a lack of financial smarts nor the accrual of massive debt have affected the security clearances of politicians serving in Washington — who piled an additional $2 trillion on the National Debt from fiscal year 2002 to 2005. The American electorate might ponder whether some security clearances should be revoked on election day. An old saying goes, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”

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    Member colossus27's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Habermill
    Security Clearances Revoked for Excessive Debt
    by Wayne Olson
    October 28, 2006

    In some cases disqualification is owing to criminal activity, uncertain allegiance, or ill health. An increasingly common reason for lost security clearance is debt. Depending on the military branch, when service members’ debt payments are 30 to 40 percent of their salary, security clearances are revoked.

    Ironically, neither a lack of financial smarts nor the accrual of massive debt have affected the security clearances of politicians serving in Washington — who piled an additional $2 trillion on the National Debt from fiscal year 2002 to 2005. The American electorate might ponder whether some security clearances should be revoked on election day. An old saying goes, “What’s good for the goose is good for the gander.”
    Regarding the first paragraph, this is looooooooong overdue. Enlisting alone should not grant a clearance. There's plenty the military can do w/people that can't get a clearance.

    Regarding the politicians, this forgot to mention the different interpretation of how these swine are expected to behave. If I did what Sandy Berger did, I'd have deservedly wound up in Leavenworth for 10 odd years.
    "At a minimum, a head of state should have a head."- Vladimir Putin

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