Author Archive

Marko Hakamaa

Marko Hakamaa served in various military police positions with the United States Army worldwide for 22 years before retiring in 2006 as a Master Sergeant. Afterwards, he has worked as a contractor background investigator, a government industrial and personnel security specialist, and as a national security and public trust background investigation adjudicator.

Security Clearance Denial

In a recent Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals case the applicant, a former intelligence agency government employee, was denied security clearance eligibility due to foreign influence (China) and personal conduct concerns. Here are the highlights of the hearing. The applicant was born in China and became a naturalized U.S.

Read More
Security Clearance Process

The National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee (NISPPAC) is comprised of 16 government agencies and 8 appointed private industry representatives chosen for their industrial security expertise and leadership. The purpose of the meetings is to communicate policy changes, implementation guidance, and what the impacts are on industry as seen

Read More
Security Clearance Denial

A Department of Energy (DOE) contractor had her access eligibility revoked for a number of security violations, personal conduct issues and timecard fraud. Multiple co-workers refused to work with her because of her aggressive behavior, and she was investigated at one point as an insider threat. She subsequently appealed the

Read More
AdjudicationBackground InvestigationsObtaining Security ClearanceSecurity Clearance DenialSecurity Clearance Process

In a recent Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals case, a DoD contractor was able to overcome concerns with her history of incidents involving alcohol consumption to get security clearance eligibility. This was one of those cases that could have gone either way, depending on the interpretation of the mitigating

Read More