Purgatory

Dave received word today that his Security Clearance Investigation has been completed. If you have not been contacted, you are off the hook.

This is a relief, in one sense. Passing a milestone is always a relief.

But, this is not as dramatic as it may sound. Dave has not yet been granted Security Clearance. Here's the process from here.

Security Investigation:
During the Security Investigation, a few key people dug into Dave's life and sought out terrible secrets. They called some of our friends, some of our family members, and a few former employers. They researched a list of Dave's foreign contacts. We don't know the results of any of this research. We just know that its finished.

Adjudication:
And now Dave's file passed into the second phase of Security. Some files never enter Adjudication - some candidates are so very white bread, that by the time their Security Investigation is completed, they are automatically cleared. It seems that Dave has a few raisins in his bread, and a team of people must sit around and decide whether or not he is secure. Adjudication is playfully referred to as Purgatory by the FSO waiting community - as there is nothing you can do to move yourself out of Adjudication except wait and pray.

Final Suitability Review:
Once Security Clearance has been granted, the applicant's file moves on for Final Suitability Review. This is the last place for the government to cull the bad apples out of the basket. It usually goes quickly, and simply involves a review of the applicant's entire file.

The Register:
Once an applicant passes Final Suitability Review, they are placed on The Register. The Register is 5 lists of applicants, each organized by their "cone." Dave will be in the Political cone. Other cones are Management, Public Diplomacy, Consular and something else. Dave will wait patiently in line, along with other approved applicants in the Political cone. The Foreign Service is currently undergoing a dramatic hiring surge, due to years of neglect. This is great news for all people waiting on the register, as the State Department has scheduled 10 training classes next year. They begin aproximately every 6 weeks.

Each candidate waits on the register by their rank. The highest rank is 6.0 - Dave ranks 5.6. We feel pretty good about this rank, confident that he will not linger for years with such a low number. Everyone with a higher number will be called to join a class before him, and everyone with 5.6 who entered the register prior to Dave will be called before him as well. These are good odds.

We learned this morning that they're not amazing odds, though. Some more numbers: another Political candidate just joined the Register. With a 5.7, he is ranked 31 out of 112. We estimate that 20 people are pulled off of the Register for each class. We can not estimate how many people have been placed on the Do Not Call List - plenty of people do, and we will if we come too near to the due date.

So, don't expect us in DC for the January class. But Dave's still hopeful to be called for the February or March classes. After that point, he would join the Do Not Call List until June.