Marko Hakamaa

When a defense contractor’s Security Management Office (SMO) offers someone a job in a sensitive position that requires a security clearance there are certain responsibilities and actions they must take to process the request through the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), depending on the scenario. First and foremost, they

In reviewing numerous job postings across my career field, I’ve noticed that many specify a requirement for an active security clearance. This wording can unintentionally limit the candidate pool, as it often overlooks applicants who previously held a clearance that is now current (inactive) but still eligible for reinstatement under

Formerly known as the DoD Consolidated Adjudications Facility, the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency’s (DCSA) Adjudication and Vetting Services (AVS) is responsible for adjudicating background investigations and monitoring continuous vetting alerts for the DoD, which includes military service members, civilians, contractors, congressional staff, capitol police, and consultants. Using the “Whole

As the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and the Defense Counterintelligence Agency (DCSA) continue to move forward with implementing the Trusted Workforce (TW) 2.0 initiative, there will be changes to reciprocity processes and bringing back employees who were previously cleared. When fully implemented, vetting scenarios under Transfer of Trust and