Ever wondered who holds the highest security clearance in the United States?
We get this question a lot on UCMJ.us and there are a lot of misconceptions out there about security clearances at a high level.
In this article, we will discover the important people who possess the highest level of access to classified information in the United States intelligence community and military.
Who Has the Highest Security Clearance?
The President of the United States of America holds the highest level security clearance. This also includes the Vice President. Both have access to see all intelligence information shared across all branches of government, intelligence agencies, and the military.
However say that they have security clearances is a bit of a misnomer because POTUS does not actually hold any security clearance. Ummm… what?
The President and Vice President have a bit of a unique position regarding security clearances.
Unlike other US government officials, the President does not undergo a clearance process but has access to all classified information by virtue of being in the office.
It is assumed that if you went through the trouble of running for and getting elected to be POTUS, you should be safe to see any classified information the US intelligence and military has.
In addition Vice Presidents do not need a security clearance.
Yankee White
Now if you are going to work with, around, or have access to classified information around the President and/or Vice President, this does require a high level security clearance.
The official clearance name is called a Yankee White.
Unlike other security clearances, which typically go through the Office of Personnel Management (OPN), Yankee White clearances are done by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI).
The FBI vetting process for background check is much more rigorous than what OPM or a contractor with OPM would do. It is necessary though to ensure that all highly classified information that POTUS and the Vice President come into contact with are kept secret.
Of course the Yankee White is done for any staff that work in the White House. That includes maintenance workers, chefs, and any miscellaneous support personnel like that.
Presidential Daily Brief
The President receives daily intelligence briefings and can authorize or declassify information as he sees fit. This is known as the Presidential Daily Brief (PBD).
Access to the PBD contains critical national security updates and intelligence assessments. The daily reports can have a wide range of domestic and foreign intelligence threats.
Access to the PDB is highly classified and requires a Yankee White as we talked about above.
There is a chain of custody with the PDB as well. So that if there is a potential leak, counterintelligence can trace back and see who might have leaked any vital info only POTUS and his cabinet advisors are supposed to see.
Federal Government and Military Positions
In the US federal government, there are individuals with the top level positions in the intelligence and military that require extremely high level security clearances.
This includes;
- Director of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA): The CIA director oversees all foreign intelligence gathering. This would require access to top-tier classified information.
- National Security Agency (NSA) Director: The NSA conducts and manages a huge amount of cybersecurity and signals intelligence. This is highly sensitive data and since wars and conflicts are won on the basis of intel and communicating it, the NSA Director is a very important position.
- FBI Director: The FBI Director oversees the premiere law enforcement agency in the US. This is a huge responsibility to make sure domestic security threats and the FBI are run with highly trusted people.
Other positions that would require high level security clearance are the Director of National Intelligence (DNI), generals and admirals of the military, and any deputy chiefs of the above mentioned agencies.
Cabinet members and those running other government departments, need to undergo a rigorous security clearance procedure as well.
All these individuals hold very high security clearances due to their roles in US national security and defense. The background checks are also conducted by the FBI due to the sensitive and important roles they play.
Understanding Security Clearance Levels
Security clearance levels in the United States primarily include three tiers:
- Confidential: This is the lowest level of security clearance. It authorizes access to information that could cause damage to national security if disclosed without authorization. For instance, military personnel often hold Confidential clearance to access routine operational data.
- Secret: This clearance level allows access to information that, if exposed, could cause serious damage to national security. Many defense contractors and military officials hold Secret clearance for operational plans or technical information.
- Top Secret: The Top Secret clearance is the highest standard clearance level. Top Secret permits access to information that could cause exceptionally grave damage to national security if disclosed to foreign adversaries. Only military personnel that require a Top Secret and certain intelligence agency employees hold Top Secret clearances to protect the most sensitive information.
Additional designations such as Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) and Special Access Programs (SAP) exist within the Top Secret level.
SCI access involves compartmentalizing information for extra protection, typically related to intelligence sources and methods.
Top Secret/SCI is only for certain programs. The US Intel community operates on a “need to know” basis. That means the Top Secret info you are given is all you are going to know.
SAPs involve highly classified programs with stringent access controls beyond standard procedures.
There are also clearance levels that are are above Top Secret that we do not know the names of. There are so sensitive and highly classified not much is known about those clearances processes and procedures.
At UCMJ.us our discussions with military personnel lead us to believe these are for those that work in highly specialized units. This includes special counterintelligence programs, Delta Force, SEAL Team 6, and other Special Operations programs in 3-letter agencies and the US military.
What is the Criteria for High-Level Security Clearances?
If you are looking to be at the top level in the US intelligence and military you will need to undergo a background check.
These backgrounds checks examine several areas of interest about an individual. This includes criminal history, credit, work history, and more.
The deeper the clearance level required, the more exhaustive the background check.
Personal and professional factors significantly influence the clearance process.
The investigators will assess your loyalty, character, and emotional stability. They evaluate personal associations and foreign contacts to identify potential security risks. Employment history, financial stability, and professional conduct help determine your suitability. Authorities adhere to stringent guidelines to ensure only the most qualified candidates receive high-level security clearances.
Comprehensive investigations determine eligibility and it doesn’t just happen once. There is continuous vetting procedures in place.
Those with top-tier access, such as officials within the CIA, NSA, FBI, and DoD carry a lot of responsibility defending and protecting US national security.
Do you think you could undergo a Yankee White or a high level security clearance process?