Definitions of unsettled on the Web: still in doubt; an unsettled issue; an unsettled state of mind. changeable: subject to change; a changeable climate; the weather is uncertain; unsettled weather with rain and hail and sunshine coming one right after the other. wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn.
Credit and criminal history checks will be conducted on all applicants. For a Top Secret security clearance, the background investigation includes additional record checks which can verify citizenship for the applicant and family members, verification of birth, education, employment history, and military history.
I haven't been able to figure this out. It seems in the past certain rates and billets required secret, some of them migh trequire top secret. But some people in the USCG forums have said a secret is required for EVERYONE now. My recruiter gave me a flyer from 2015 listing all the rates and only SOME of them say must qualify for a secret level clearance.