Trivia

In the early scene where Col. Weber visits Louise in her school office, he mentions she still has another two years in her SSBI which stands for Single Scope Background Investigation, a type of US security clearance investigation required for TOP SECRET-level Controlled Access Programs. It involves running background checks of the subject's employment, education, organization affiliations and any local agency in places where they have lived, worked, traveled or attended school, including interviews with persons who know the subject both personally and professionally. Once granted, Top Secret clearance is good for five years, after which another SSBI must be conducted for renewal. Presumably, Louise's SSBI was first conducted by Army Intelligence before she was allowed to translate their recordings of Iranian insurgents speaking in Farsi. See more