What are the levels of security clearance exist in the Navy, and what is the general process to obtain or update a clearance?

• A. Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret; process involves background investigation, security interviews, and approvals; updates follow duty changes
• B. Public, Internal, and Restricted
• C. Level 1, Level 2, Level 3 with no process
• D. Credit check and medical review

Answer: (A)

Security clearances in the Navy come in three levels: Confidential, Secret, and Top Secret. Each level represents how sensitive the information you can access is, with Confidential being the lowest and Top Secret the highest.

To obtain or update a clearance, you typically fill out a security questionnaire (the SF-86 or its electronic equivalent). A background investigation is then conducted by the appropriate security office, gathering detailed information about your history, employment, education, finances, foreign contacts, criminal records, and more. The process may include interviews with you or people who know you. After the investigation, an adjudicator reviews the findings against eligibility guidelines to decide if you may be cleared and at what level. Once granted, the clearance is kept current through ongoing oversight, and updates or reinvestigations are triggered by changes in duties, assignments, or new information, with timing depending on the clearance level.

The other options don’t reflect the standard Navy categories or the typical process, which is why they aren’t correct.