That was actually sad - Kash should know better. I had a TS-SSBI w/SCI when I was 18. I worked in a comm center, and I had 1 less stripe than this guy did. It doesn't matter how old they are, or guard/reserve/active - if their job is to handle classified messages or the equipment/network/lines they travel across then so be it. It is VERY common.
That said, I would rather people hit 25yo before they have TS or SCI access. Not because I don't think people can handle it, but because of the length of time the investigators are allowed to go back in someone's background investigation. Look at me - if they were even allowed to go back 8 years on an 18yo what would they learn - I don't like broccoli? They should wait for some work history, or even some "adult history" before trusting some of this stuff to anyone. Note - they may have changed the time they go back in to investigate now - mine was over 30 years ago when I got my 1st clearance. Everything after that was a much more simple 5 year update. Even my Q clearance was a simple update to my TS and a paper exercise to turn it into a Q (for DoE).
If you aren't familiar with what a comm center is, picture something similar to a post office but with classified messages coming in and going out. We would have to review them and route them to the proper people, or in some cases create and send the messages to specific people/addresses. A lot has changed in 30 years but there are still people making sure the messages come and go. Especially if maybe a flash message comes in where you only have a specific amount of time to get it to it's destination.
That was actually sad - Kash should know better. I had a TS-SSBI w/SCI when I was 18. I worked in a comm center, and I had 1 less stripe than this guy did. It doesn't matter how old they are, or guard/reserve/active - if their job is to handle classified messages or the equipment/network/lines they travel across then so be it. It is VERY common.
That said, I would rather people hit 25yo before they have TS or SCI access. Not because I don't think people can handle it, but because of the length of time the investigators are allowed to go back in someone's background investigation. Look at me - if they were even allowed to go back 8 years on an 18yo what would they learn - I don't like broccoli? They should wait for some work history, or even some "adult history" before trusting some of this stuff to anyone. Note - they may have changed the time they go back in to investigate now - mine was over 30 years ago when I got my 1st clearance. Everything after that was a much more simple 5 year update. Even my Q clearance was a simple update to my TS and a paper exercise to turn it into a Q (for DoE).
If you aren't familiar with what a comm center is, picture something similar to a post office but with classified messages coming in and going out. We would have to review them and route them to the proper people, or in some cases create and send the messages to specific people/addresses. A lot has changed in 30 years but there are still people making sure the messages come and go. Especially if maybe a flash message comes in where you only have a specific amount of time to get it to it's destination.