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

Three security clearance applicants were initially denied clearance eligibility by the DoD due to concerns with on-going involvement with marijuana use. They all appealed to the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA). Here are the highlights of the cases. The first applicant submitted his SF-86 and admitted to using

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Security Clearance Process

In the past, security clearance holders had to undergo a periodic reinvestigation every 5 years for Top Secret and 10 years for Secret. When the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) took over background investigations from the Office of Personnel Management, it gradually instituted continuous evaluation protocols to ween off

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Background Investigations

The Bloomington Police Department in Minnesota were conducting a prostitution sting operation that caught an unexpected client a few weeks ago. During the sting an undercover officer was contacted by Brashad Johnson and offered $100 for sex. He was subsequently arrested after entering the hotel where the UC agreed to

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Security Clearance Process

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) mandates that all federal agencies provide quarterly and annual reports regarding the number of new background investigations submitted and adjudicated, upgrades processed, employees onboarded under reciprocity, and clearances granted. Agencies must also report timeliness data for all categories, including how long

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