As the gears keep turning in the security clearance world, Katie Keller and I are back highlighting all of the national security news that’s been happening. From the Intelligence & National Security Summit to security clearance terms to the effects of lying, we got it covered.

Week in Review – ClearedCast Style

Intelligence Arena

The Intelligence and National Security Summit, co-hosted by AFCEA and INSA provided us with a 100% virtual conference this year, giving many opportunities to connect, network, and get the latest news from the Intelligence Community’s biggest leaders. IC leaders gave updates about life with COVID-19 and how that’s impacted the industry. Teleworking is something we’ve always wanted to do, but COVID-19 actually helped make that a reality. Army and Air Force leaders their remote classified capabilities that they have developed and fast-tracked during this time. Additionally, another leader promoted the idea of shared SCIF spaces – and idea that’s being kicked around Pentagon leadership.

The IC leaders were asked what gives them the most hope right now. Leaders really sang their people and partnerships praises. While it’s hard to retain talent in the federal government, there is an appeal in supporting the mission. And it’s critical to recognize that the key to success is the talent behind it.

Security Clearance Terminology

Sean Bigley wrote a helpful piece on nine security clearance terms to know a few weeks ago, so since terminology can often trip us up, it’s helpful to test our knowledge – make sure we know what we think we know. Check out the latest quiz to test your knowledge on security clearance terms. It’s easy to be fearful of losing your clearance when you don’t understand the different terms and processes. You don’t need to major in clearance terms 101, but knowledge can help reduce some of the stress.

It’s also good to know that while legalizing marijuana might continue to be a trend for some states – especially with some voting to change their laws this November, it is still not legalized on a federal level. If you should find yourself confused about this or having some prior activity, there are helpful resources to understand mitigating marijuana use for clearance holders.

Lying is Bad

Steve Leonard reminds us that we are all prone to lying. While the clearance industry makes it a point to be truthful, understanding why we lie can help us to avoid it in the future. However, when it comes to leading teams and accomplishing the missions that we’ve been tasked with, lying can be a major hurdle for many. It’s never a good work environment when your boss is a perpetual liar. A component of finding your BS meter is uncovering the lies of coworkers and leaders and throwing the yellow flag on it. Dishing out fake news left and right with a mind to advance our own personal agendas backfires on us and potentially the effectiveness our work.

News to Look for This week

In the coming week, we’ll look at recruiting issues and more espionage news and military transition tips. We’ll chat with Christopher Burgess next week, as he walks through the timeline of the Russian espionage case: Peter Debbins.

Make sure you subscribe to ClearedCast and be social with us on all our media channels. Have a security clearance career topic you’d like us to cover? Drop us a note in the comments, or you can send us any thoughts or questions at editor@clearancejobs.com.

 

 

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Jillian Hamilton has worked in a variety of Program Management roles for multiple Federal Government contractors. She has helped manage projects in training and IT. She received her Bachelors degree in Business with an emphasis in Marketing from Penn State University and her MBA from the University of Phoenix.