Does an ANG CSO need Top Secret SC?

[Kdewingit]

Hello! First time caller, long time listener. I have been in the ANG for 9 years now. I am a TSgt getting ready to go to TFOT then CSO school. I currently hold a Secret security clearance. Does anyone know if I have to have a TS clearance as a navigator? My commander is questioning my need for one and I have to get a straight answer as I have IFT scheduled for June 19th, 2018. Thanks in advance!

Edited March 13, 2018 by Kdewingit
typo

[08Dawg]

I have never known a flyer to not have a TS. 

[Kdewingit]

I've been told some flyers get it then it's never renewed after the initial term. Seems like a waste.

[ATIS]

Asking the Q to the USAF (AD/ANG/AFRES) types...why would the CO (sorry, Navy term)...the Commander care if the member has t a TS or no?.  No sweat off his or her back.  Sure...with the current OPM backlog this CSO to be will be retired by the time it's approved....but I have always encouraged members under me to get TS if they rate it , helps with TOC/JOC information flow and is always helpful on resume's when searching for employment on the outside.   

Cheers

ATIS

[Kdewingit]

If I had the choice, I'd get my Top Secret and keep it my whole career. But they cost money and our base pays for it so it isn't up to me. I just don't want to be told I don't have to do it, then be denied entry into CSO school due to not having it. I turn 30 9 days after I start school so there isn't much time to fix errors after-the-fact.

[brabus]

Your need for a TS will be dependent on what airframe you go to after Nav school.  I assume nav training is like pilot training - probably barely any secret discussed, let alone TS. I imagine the most correct answer is you do not need TS for school, but you may need it post-school. Are you staying in the ARC/know what airframe you're going to?

[Kdewingit]

2 minutes ago, brabus said:

Your need for a TS will be dependent on what airframe you go to after Nav school.  I assume nav training is like pilot training - probably barely any secret discussed, let alone TS. I imagine the most correct answer is you do not need TS for school, but you may need it post-school. Are you staying in the ARC/know what airframe you're going to?

I will still belong to my guard unit, which has C-130's (H2 and H3). I think Active duty need their TS because they have yet to be assigned an air frame and that air frame may require TS. Because I already know my air frame, I may not need the TS. I've been a flight line crew chief with my Secret clearance, so I am guessing a TS isn't needed for the Herc.

[brabus]

Need a herc guy to weigh in, but I do have several friends in Hercs and all of them initially had TS that was allowed to lapse.  Don't need it to fly Hercs directly; potentially could need it for future opportunities/non-flying work (i.e. working with other services where you need to be in a SCIF for mission planning, etc.) Overall, I don't think your CC is necessarily off base regarding your lack of requirement for a TS (to specifically fly Hercs), but at the same time if there's any way to get it you should, to provide flexibility for yourself and your squadron when the need arises to send a Herc guy to fill X role and a TS is required.

Edited March 15, 2018 by brabus

[nunya]

The Herks had a mission in Iraq and elsewhere that was TS and required Advanced Beatings.  Policy for a while was all ACs and Navs would have the TS.  Didn't seem to last though once those taskers waned.  

[matmacwc]

Not sure if the rest of this thread is a good idea.

[Kdewingit]

38 minutes ago, matmacwc said:

Not sure if the rest of this thread is a good idea.

Catching your drift but a solid answer would be nice

[brabus]

I think the most you're going to get is: not needed for most part; some very few cases it would be...from your CC"s perspective, those very few cases probably do not warrant getting you a TS prior to CSO school.

[Warrior]

I think the most you're going to get is: not needed for most part; some very few cases it would be...from your CC"s perspective, those very few cases probably do not warrant getting you a TS prior to CSO school.

Matmacwc and brabus are spot on.

Valid question, but recommend shutting this one down before someone says something they’ll regret.

PM me and we can go .mil or .smil as required if you want more. Is SIPR baseops still a thing?

[Kenny Powers]

Why don't you just ask the dudes you'll be flying with? Or take your commanders word for it? If they don't have one, you probably don't need one. If they have one, you'll probably get one.

[Kdewingit]

On 3/16/2018 at 2:51 PM, Kenny Powers said:

Why don't you just ask the dudes you'll be flying with? Or take your commanders word for it? If they don't have one, you probably don't need one. If they have one, you'll probably get one.

I have asked around, I get different answers from different flyers- which led me to seek the answer here. And I rarely take anyone's word for it because if I am wrong, it's on me. In my experience it has never sufficed to say, "Well that's what they told me". And many of my future cohorts went through school a looooonnngg time ago, and couldn't tell me if the rules have changed.

[F-15E WSO]

When you get your training paperwork, there will be a list of thing to accomplish before reporting.  Do those.  If submitting security paperwork clearance is required, that will be on the list with specifics possibly in an attachment.

When you report to training, you'll have more to-do lists.  Again, do those.  If doing security paperwork is a requirement, it will be on there.

 

 

[pawnman]

On 3/13/2018 at 3:13 PM, Kdewingit said:

Hello! First time caller, long time listener. I have been in the ANG for 9 years now. I am a TSgt getting ready to go to TFOT then CSO school. I currently hold a Secret security clearance. Does anyone know if I have to have a TS clearance as a navigator? My commander is questioning my need for one and I have to get a straight answer as I have IFT scheduled for June 19th, 2018. Thanks in advance!

I think you're going to need a TS to go through the training at PCola.  There's a lot of electronic warfare geekery they're teaching now, regardless of the airframe you end up in.

 

IIRC (and it's been a long time), the TS paperwork was initiated at UNT during inprocessing.  A lot of students just had interim clearances until OPM finally finished the investigations.

Edited March 20, 2018 by pawnman