Here’s a truth whispered (or more often grumbled) among seasoned security officers and contractors: no three-letter agency truly trusts another to get clearances quite right. They’ll smile at each other in meetings and claim to operate off reciprocity, but when it comes to clearance transfers? It’s more “start from scratch” than “welcome aboard.”
This is the messy reality of what’s known as the transfer of trust—the idea that a clearance granted by one federal agency should be accepted by another without additional hoops. Sounds great in theory. In practice? It’s a slow-motion obstacle course, and whether or not you get across smoothly often depends less on your record and more on which agency is holding the finish line.
DoD Gets It Done (Usually)
If you’re coming into the Department of Defense with a clearance from other agencies, congratulations—you’re likely golden. For fully cleared roles requiring staff-like access, the DoD can often get clearance holders crossed over in 72 hours. That’s practically warp speed in the world of personnel security. The DoD’s scale, standardized procedures, and tighter integration with industry make its clearances more “portable” within the cleared world.
But if you’re arriving somewhere else with a clearance from, say, the Department of Energy, CIA, or DHS? Buckle up. Things get complicated.
Trust Issues Between the Agencies
Having sat through an Industrial Security conference or two, I can tell you—the lack of trust isn’t just anecdotal. Shared clearance blunders can often make jaws drop. Of course, you can read the news or take deep dive down a Reddit thread. We’re not talking small mistakes. We’re talking about massive oversights and process failures that leave other agencies asking: “You cleared them?”
And therein lies the problem. Every agency believes its adjudication process is the gold standard. Everyone else? Not quite up to snuff. So instead of honoring a previously granted clearance, the receiving agency hits pause. They double-check. They ask for additional forms, re-adjudicate past investigations, and drag what should be a straightforward transfer into weeks—or months—of limbo.
The Fallout for Industry
For contractors, the lack of seamless clearance reciprocity is more than just annoying. It’s expensive, inefficient, and frustrating. Good talent can sit idle while paperwork is shuffled. Projects stall while agencies bicker over background details. And trust—ironically the cornerstone of the clearance process—becomes the very thing slowing everything down.
Can It Be Fixed?
Technically, yes. Reciprocity is policy. But in practice, the only way to really fix it is to build actual trust between agencies—perhaps through increased transparency, standardization, and shared accountability in clearance adjudications. Until then, expect a continued case of “trust but reverify” across the alphabet soup of national security agencies.
Because in the end, it’s not personal. It’s just national security—and nobody wants to be the agency that trusted the wrong person. Even if they all agree that everyone else is doing it wrong.
