Your access has been denied Published July 22, 2011 By Cheri Leblanc 509th Bomb Wing chief of information protection WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Servicemembers are required to adhere to higher standards than those in the local civilian communities due to the importance of the mission and the responsibility for the safety and security of our country. Everyone who has served in the U.S. Air Force has received briefings on how their personal conduct, in or out of uniform, must be above reproach at all times. These briefings began during the first days of basic military training and have continued through commander's calls, first sergeant inprocessing appointments, guardmounts, roll calls and others. Through these briefings, members are aware that misconduct can lead to possible administrative, non-judicial, or judicial actions in the form of letters of counseling, reduction in grade through article 15, to confinement resulting from a courts martial conviction. But, what may not be commonly understood is that misconduct, to a certain degree, not only applies to the military member, but can have negative consequences to the careers of civilian employees and base contractors as well. Even though the Uniform Code of Military Justice does not apply to civil service, non-appropriated funds employees, and civilian contractor personnel, they are still subject to the same standards or guidelines as Air Force members are for obtaining and maintaining access to classified and or security clearances necessary for their duty positions. The Air Force Central Adjudication Facility in Washington D.C. is the central location responsible for determining Air Force connected personnel's reliability and trustworthiness and awarding access and security clearances. The AFCAF uses thirteen adjudication guidelines to assist in their decisions. These guidelines vary from several categories ranging from foreign influence, financial considerations, alcohol consumption to criminal activity, to name a few. But as mentioned, these standards apply to all personnel, military or not, who work at Whiteman and have at least a need for restricted area or base network access. What does this mean to you? Well, you if you are active-duty, Guard or Reserve in the Air Force, civil service or NAF employee, or a contractor working on base and (for example) have Facebook account and regularly correspond with a friend in a foreign country, your reliability may be questioned by the AFCAF under the adjudication guideline of foreign influence. Additionally, if you are 90-days delinquent on a credit card, your access or clearance may be suspended while the AFCAF determines your reliability for financial considerations. If you have an alcohol related incident, not only will you face administrative or punitive actions based on the incident, but you may also lose your access and clearance from the AFCAF for alcohol abuse. If you are apprehended or arrested for a domestic dispute, your access or clearance may be revoked for criminal activity depending on the situation. Besides the AFCAF, your commander also has the authority to terminate access through the establishment of a Security Information File on individuals whose reliability has become questionable due to violation of one or more of the thirteen adjudication standards. What happens if you loose your access? As with any type of employment, if you can't do the job you were hired for and trained to do because your access has been revoked, military personnel can be separated and civilian or contractor personnel can be terminated in the worse-case conditions. For information concerning access and security clearances or other questions concerning Personnel, Information, or Industrial Security programs, contact the 509th Bomb Wing Information Protection Office at (660) 687-5809/5811.