U.S. NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE FORT WORTH, Texas -- The Coronavirus pandemic, economic uncertainty—covered in the last post on Continuous Evaluation Guideline F: Financial Considerations—and social isolation might increase your desire to consume more than regular amounts of alcohol. Since March, alcohol distributors have reported more than a 50% increase in alcohol sales. That said, grief and high anxiety can be triggers for many who have problems with alcohol consumption.
Difficult situations impact everyone differently, but for service members, these situations could adversely affect your national security clearance eligibility and your career— think about the Continuous Evaluation process.
What is Continuous Evaluation?
Continuous Evaluation (CE) is a personnel security investigative process to review the background of individuals who have been determined eligible for access to classified information or to hold a sensitive position. The CE process searches numerous commercial and government databases, in addition to other information lawfully available to security professionals.
Adjudicative Guideline G
Distress may lead to abnormal drinking behaviors that can have serious effects on your health, career, and national security mission. Excessive alcohol consumption, under adjudicative Guideline G, often leads to questionable judgement, failure to control impulses, and raises concerns of an individual’s reliability and trustworthiness. Some of the conditions that may raise a security concern include habitual or binge consumption to the point of impaired judgement, diagnosis by a duly qualified medical or mental health professional of alcohol use disorder, alcohol-related incidents away and at work, such as child or spouse abuse, disturbing the peace, and driving while under the influence.
Solution
It is paramount that you disclose what may be deemed a security concern by self-reporting to your commander, immediate supervisor, first sergeant or your security assistant. By self-reporting, you show that you have acknowledged your pattern of maladaptive alcohol use and are willing to take actions to overcome this problem. This proves the emphasis of reliability, trustworthiness, and ability to protect classified and sensitive information. While self-reporting is not a guarantee you will keep your clearance, it does show an act of good faith to the adjudicators.
Please contact your Unit Security Assistant or the 301 FW Information Protection office for questions or concerns.