How common is it for a someone in the Marines and Army to not have at least a secret clearance?

when I was in, I was given a Secret Clearance when I was F.A.P.'d out to the U-Drive section of Base Motors. This was because their were a few times I had to Drive for Visiting Generals and I might over hear something deemed Secret or higher while driving for them. It is not completely M.O.S. Specific though it is a if necessary thing. It is given to those that they deem may come in contact or over hear Secret or above information or materials. BUT all Military Personal do get the confidential security clearance. after I E.A.S'd it was taken away, but it did make it very easy for me to get a new Secret Clearance when I was working Security at a Government contracted Aerospace Company. There I learned that just because someone has a Secret, TS or above Clearance (There are many Levels of TS) if it was deemed you do not have a need to know about a certain subject or Project you were not given access to the project area or information regardless of clearance level.

TSgt Joshua Copeland
Nothing like Air Force overkill? "Need access to an Unclassified system? You'd better have a Secret clearance!!!" :)

I think in the Army & Marines security clearances are MOS specific whereas the Air Force requires all Airmen to have at least a Confidential.

TSgt Joshua Copeland It is very common. Only certain MOSes and duty positions require a security clearance. If you are not in one of them the Army will not pay to get you a clearance.

I'd bet its like the Navy and very few actually have a secret clearance. Us ET's and CT's had Secret and Im not even sure every ET in my division had Secret. Frequencies of Radar gets secret, IFF and CIC are all secret areas, but after that I'm guessing a very large part of my ship didn't have even confidential.

I was assigned Security Clerk as a collateral duty on board ship. Every Chief and Officer had a Secret or above. Most E-6 and below had at least a Secret, except for Deck Division, most of Engineering and Supply. I wish e-QIP had been around then. At least i was able to talk them into sending me to SSO school.

Not that common but it is possible for lower enlisted E-1-E-5 to possibly get away without having a secret clearance, but E-6-E-9 more than likely have that to be the least of clearances.

When you are being considered for a clearance you may not even know it. I certainly didn’t. I saw that it was completed 12/6/1973 --- but not until I got a DD-214 in 1977.

Also when I was a lieutenant some NIS guy came around and asked me about another lieutenant in my unit. I guess he was getting a top secret clearance or something.

Walt

I had a secret clearance out of boot camp. I often think that is why I didn't get set back a phase. Lord knows the DI's would threaten that constantly.

I was already slotted into some follow on schools. That said, I think few junior enlisted, especially in the combat arms, have clearances.

Walt

MOS dependent and a matter of rank.

That said, I was a lower enlisted Army grunt, one who generally does not need such a clearance, but I received one. The testing unit I was in--I suspect--required more individuals with such clearances. That's the only reason I can think of as to why, one day out of the blue, I had Secret clearance.