Army releases data on soldiers in debt

SAN DIEGO -- Like the other branches of the military, the Army is seeing a marked increase in the number of troops stripped of their security clearances because they are so deep in debt, according to military data obtained by the Associated Press.

Soldiers need security clearance when they work with secret information and sometimes when they are sent overseas. The Pentagon says financial problems can distract personnel from their duties or make them vulnerable to bribery and treason.

The number of soldiers who are losing their clearances because of financial problems has nearly doubled over last year.

The Associated Press reported in October that growing numbers of Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force troops are so deep in debt they are losing their security clearances.

The Army refused to supply data at the time, but later complied with a Freedom of Information Act request.

Over the past five years, 400 Army soldiers have been stripped of their clearances for financial reasons; during that span, the Army granted 747,000 clearances. After hovering at 70 revocations per year since 2002, the number jumped to 149 in the fiscal year that ended in September.

Army spokesman Paul Boyce said the numbers are relatively low and reflect efforts to educate soldiers on money management.

Data supplied by the Navy, Marine Corps, and Air Force showed that the number of clearances denied for financial reasons rose every year between 2002 and 2005, climbing ninefold from 284 at the start of the period to 2,654 last year. More than 7,000 troops in the three branches have lost their clearances because of finances since 2002.