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 transitioned into the civilian workforce as a contractor background investigator for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) before entering civil service as a Security Specialist in 2009.

Security Clearance Process

Last week the Office of Personnel Management made a decision to shut down the e-QIP application used to process 90% of Federal government background investigations for 4-6 weeks. At the same time, due to the data breach which allowed hackers access to OPM investigative records through a laptop that was

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Background Investigations

I came across an interesting case about a U.S. Army soldier who attempted to sell classified information to who he thought was a Russian officer. The story, as described by the ensuing joint investigation conducted by Army Counterintelligence, Air Force Office of Special Investigations, and FBI investigators reads like something

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Security Clearance Process

The DoD Consolidated Adjudication Facility (CAF) unveiled a brand new website in May that is surprisingly forthcoming in providing information about adjudications, appeals, security clearance announcements/news, and even DoD CAF job openings. This is quite a refreshing change to what in the past has always seemed to be a shadow

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Security Clearance Jobs

In a recent article posted by Federal News Radio, the National Security Agency announced the advent of a new Intelligence Community job site designed specifically for those seeking government jobs that require the specialized skills and qualifications that the IC member agencies are looking for. Alongside the NSA are the

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