Hello everyone. I want to start off thanking everyone for reading, and especially those who respond with helpful advice. My name is Chris, and a little over a month ago I enlisted in the Navy to be a Nuke, and I am shipping out on the 29th of March. I am really excited and think that I will love it, but I have one big problem that keeps me up that would help me so much if it were to be solved. For this position I need a security clearance (I believe top secret). I am a US citizen by birth and have been out of the country to visit the countries Cambodia and Thailand, and have only one person that I keep in contact with, my girlfriend (which I listed on my security forms as a contact). I want to sponsor her for a visa to marry me in the United States as soon as possible, but the Navy, as good as it is, is in the way because I'm afraid that it will cause my security clearance to be denied or that it will cause me to wait longer in between schools. I have been told just to talk to my security officer when I'm in to get all of this ironed out, but I want to make sure with people who know something about this issue (like you all). Also some more information, my record is clean and I have no other issues like traffic tickets, or anything of the sort. She has not gotten into any trouble either. I am 20, she is 18 and she is Cambodian.
My questions are:
1) Are there repercussions for sponsoring someone with this clearance, whether it be longer waiting, a stigma, or ect. that will set me apart from other people?
2) How long into my schooling can I start the process? I want to apply for a K1 fiance visa or to go there and get married. For example, will I be able to iron this out in A school, power school, prototype, when I get orders, or when I'm out of the military?
3) How hard is it to get this settled? Will it require a lot of work and stress during the whole process, or is it relatively straightforward and simple?
Please give my any advice, suggestions, or comments in general because this is really important to me, and perhaps it will help other people too, because I have looked hours online but have found nothing with my situation.
Thanks again for everyone who reads and answers, and thanks to military members past and present for their service, and I'll be there soon.
P.S. I have already talked to my fiance about everything and we know what we are getting into.