Enlisting, but in debt?

SouthernBama12

New Member
Hey all! I am 21 years old and I am considering going down to the recruitment office for the Air Force in a few months. It's been something on my mind for a very long time now.

But literally my only concern is: I am $19,000 in credit card debt. Other than that, my credit report is spotless. No missed payments, no delinquencies, no collections, no derogatory remarks, low inquiries.

What are my chances of not encountering a problem with this? Will they generally overlook it since everything else on my credit report is spotless?


Thank you guys very much.
 

Toblerone

Banned Member
Isn't that private information? Why would you need to disclose financial information like that? I would mention nothing about it.
 

SouthernBama12

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #3
Isn't that private information? Why would you need to disclose financial information like that? I would mention nothing about it.
Thank you for your response. I kept checking to see if someone would reply to me.

But whenever you go to the recruitment office and are going forward with the steps to enlisting, don't they perform a credit/background check on you? I've read that too much debt gets you automatically disqualified. For some reason the military is under the illusion that if you are "in over your head in debt," you are only applying for the money, so they want to deter that...?
 

regstrup

Member
Well, if the debt could effect you economy and be a financial risk and thereby a security risk.

In the danish defence force a bad economy or very high debt can affect you security clearance, because you could be an easy target for foreign powers, who could tempt you with money. Small amount, small favors, which will grow and get you caught in a vicious circle.
 

SouthernBama12

New Member
  • Thread Starter Thread Starter
  • #5
Well, if the debt could effect you economy and be a financial risk and thereby a security risk.

In the danish defence force a bad economy or very high debt can affect you security clearance, because you could be an easy target for foreign powers, who could tempt you with money. Small amount, small favors, which will grow and get you caught in a vicious circle.

How would they know if I not one of those vulnerable people (that unfortunately have probably tried to take advantage of joining the military)?

This has been upsetting me all day as I had a dream about it and Google searched when I woke up this morning that they can take it seriously. How should I go about enlisting if you were in my situation? (Paying it off is out of the question, even though I wish I could. It would take me several years; right now I have it all on one card where I don't get charged interest).
 

tonnyc

Well-Known Member
I don't think it matters. Friend of mine joined the marines without them bothering to check his credit record. Or they did and found nothing unusual. While I have no idea how bad his credit record was, he dropped in and out of college twice, had no steady job, and love partying and his parents ain't rich, so I don't imagine it was shiny. Of course, that was ten years ago and it was the marines, so policy may be different, but I don't think so.

I believe they do check your credit record before they issue you a security clearance for sensitive stuff. But since when you enlist you will start at the bottom with no access to sensitive information, I don't think this matters. And by the time you climbed up the ranks enough for it to matter, you should have paid the debt and only have whatever's normal for someone of that paygrade.
 
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