Washington – US Defense Department: Navy Security Clearance Does Not Discriminate Against Jews

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    US Defense Department spokesman Mark WrightWashington – US Defense Department spokesman Mark Wright told The Jerusalem Post last week on Thursday that security clearance could be denied to an applicant with relatives in any foreign country.

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    “If a security-clearance applicant has relatives or other close connections to people in any foreign country, this could potentially disqualify that person from being eligible for a security clearance,” he said.

    But, he added, “The Federal Adjudicative Guidelines do not call for any special scrutiny for applicants with relatives in Israel.”

    Wright spoke on Thursday in response to the recent protest by Jewish organizations against the US Navy’s denial of security clearance for US Jews who have ties to Israel.

    The practice came to light last month after a retired dentist from New York, Dr. Gershon Pincus, who had received a recommendation approving the necessary clearance to work at a naval clinic in Saratoga Springs, was then denied clearance because his mother and siblings live in Israel.

    According to the navy, this is a security concern due to “divided loyalties.”

    Pincus’s story became known after it appeared in The Wall Street Journal on December 16.

    Wright explained that eligibility for access to classified information or assignment to sensitive duties is determined by considering the federal “Adjudicative Guidelines for Determining Eligibility for Access to Classified Information.”

    These guidelines are approved by the president of the United States and they apply to all civilian and military persons, consultants, contractors and others who require access to classified information.

    He added that the process of determining whether someone should or should not have security clearance includes “the careful weighing of a number of variables known as the whole-person concept.

    “All available, reliable information about the person, past and present, favorable and unfavorable, is considered in reaching a clearance determination,” Wright said.

    Approximately 70-75% of applicants are granted the requested security clearance eligibility, the Defense Department said.

    “Eligibility for the remainder of the applicants is either denied, revoked or they drop out of the process prior to completion for a variety of reasons, such as a change in job duties that no longer require access to classified information,” Wright explained.

    While he was not able to discuss Pincus, Wright noted that all potentially disqualifying information appears in a Statement of Reasons, which is provided to the individual applying, in full transparency.


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    9 Comments
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    charliehall
    charliehall
    8 years ago

    This is accurate. My own father in law lost his security clearance when he married a UK citizen. They rushed through a quickie naturalization of my mother in law so he could get his clearance back. Having ANY close relative with allegiance to a foreign country usually disqualifies you from getting a security clearance.

    However, this is BS. Every significant espionage scandal has been the result of ideology, financial greed, or a combination of both. Jonathan Pollard had no close relatives in Israel at the time he sold secrets for money. It is time to have the security procedures reflect actual risks.

    It should be noted though that the repeated praise for Pollard by Israel and its supporters is not helpful here. EVERY Jewish supporter of Israel is suspect as a result.

    8 years ago

    How did Obama get clearance as Commander in Chief when he has foreign relatives?

    8 years ago

    1. Many years ago, when I got my first security clearance, I had to wait almost a year because I had a relative still living in Russia. It is not unusual to have to wait. However, having it denied is unusual, or at least it was back then.
    2. As to Pollard, I remember almost 30 years ago, when the Pollard story first broke, I had just moved to New York from Washington. I attended a talk by someone from NBC at a shul on Shabbos afternoon. I was roundly booed when I said that I didn’t care that Pollard thought he was protecting Israel, and that he had a moral right to disclose the information. I said I had taken a solemn oath, which I assumed he had also taken, in which I promised to not disclose any of the information to which I had access, no matter what. I argued that he had a moral duty to keep his oath, unless he had consulted daas Torah and had been absolved of the oath. I said the length of the sentence was absurd, but punishment and a sentence were not absurd. I also argued that ssentences for US citizens were usually much harsher than the couple of years followed by a spy trade, that usually took place for a foreign spy.

    yonasonw
    Member
    yonasonw
    8 years ago

    My son was in Army Intelligence, received a top level clearance, and was assigned to the NSA back in 2002…despite having Israeli relatives. He says the clearance was delayed for almost two months while the Israel connection was investigated thoroughly…but he did get the clearance.

    allmark
    allmark
    8 years ago

    Why would a dentist need a security clearance?

    savtat
    savtat
    8 years ago

    Why would a dentist need security clearance….. and why would a dentist travel 200 miles to work? Something here doesn’t add up for me.