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It has been suggested that this article or section be merged with Security clearance. () |
A National Nuclear Security Administration identification badge indicating the bearer has a Q clearance
Q clearance is a United States Department of Energy (DOE) security clearance equivalent to a United States Department of Defense Top Secret (TS) clearance. DOE clearances apply for access specifically relating to atomic or nuclear related materials ("Restricted Data" under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954). The clearance is issued to non-military personnel only. As of 1993, Q clearances required a "single-scope background investigation" of the previous ten years of the applicant's life by both the Office of Personnel Management and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and cost $3,225.[1]
In popular culture
"Q" Clearance was a 1986 novel by Peter Benchley (Random House, ISBN 0-394-55360-8), satirizing Cold War secrecy and politics.
References
- ^ William Burr, Thomas S. Blanton, and Stephen I. Schwartz, "The Costs and Consequences of Nuclear Secrecy" in Stephen I. Schwartz, ed., Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of US Nuclear Weapons Since 1940 (Brookings Institution Press, 1998): 433-483; figures from Box 8-4, "Typical Costs of Security Investigations", on 461.
