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Originally Posted by Pursuivant
Security Clearance is specifically designed for "private citizens with access to serious secrets," like Teal'c and Daniel in the Stargate Franchise.* It works well in that context. Realistically, it's less than realistic.
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Once upon a Cold War, maybe so. Things got a lot fuzzier during the Global War on Terrorism, what with needing civilian translators to accomplish just about anything. Back during the Jedburgh days and into the early years of the CIA, Ivy League ivory-tower types were pulled in off the streets and made into intelligence personnel because (a) the Powers That Be were drawn from those sources as well and trusted their own, and (b) there basically wasn't anybody else.
So far as I can tell from open sources, some Special Mission Units take civilians seconded from other agencies when they need particular expertise, so it's not entirely unreasonable.