Debt holds U.S. troops back from overseas duty

Secrets for sale?
Financial problems are the overwhelming reason security clearances are revoked. Other reasons include criminal activity, questionable allegiance and ill health.

A key reason the military revokes clearances on financial grounds is the fear that soldiers in debt might be tempted to sell secrets or equipment to the enemy.

Also, “when they are over there fighting, we like them to have their heads in the game,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Lehnert, commander of Marine Corps bases in the western United States. “We like to have them ... not worrying about whether or not they are going to be able to make the mortgage payment or car payment.”

Members of the brass also blame runaway interest rates at payday lending businesses, many of which are clustered outside bases around the country. Several states have cracked down on payday lending practices, and on Tuesday, President Bush signed legislation limiting how much these businesses can charge military personnel.

Living for the moment
Some personnel fall into debt upon returning from combat. “It can be hard to cut that sense of elation and desire to live for the moment,” Lehnert said. “Some tend to get themselves overextended financially.”

Also, when they go to war, they get combat pay, and none of their income is taxed. That can lead them to overspend when they come home.

Patton said that like other services, the Navy offers zero-interest emergency loans. Also, military personnel commonly take money-management classes as part of basic training.

“Every time we go in and do an indoctrination brief, there is instruction or training in place to give them some of the pitfalls of debt,” said Terry Harris, a personal finance educator at the Pensacola Naval Air Station in Florida. “We do inform them about the pitfalls of security clearances being lost to that.”

The increase in finance-related revocations could actually be a good sign — it could reflect greater awareness among the troops, according to Chief Master Sgt. Rodney J. McKinley, the Air Force’s highest-ranking noncommissioned officer.

“We have a few more people coming forward and saying, ‘Hey, I’m having some financial difficulty and need help,’ versus going down the other path where they keep so quiet,” McKinley said.

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