If you are already a civil servant without a clearance, getting a clearance decreases job security. It effectively nullifies your civil service protections, and

If you are already a civil servant without a clearance, getting a clearance decreases job security. It effectively nullifies your civil service protections, and allows you to be fired at will on a security pretext, with absolutely zero recourse. I worked at a navy lab for 21 years and saw this happen to colleagues who displeased their bosses.