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

Security clearance reform has been the hot topic over the past few years with implementation of Continuous Evaluation (CE)  and Continuous Vetting (CV) programs taking the place of periodic reinvestigations, and more recently, the impending roll out of Trusted Workforce 2.0. One of the more interesting changes coming down the pike will be

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Security Clearance Denial

Trust but verify is an advisable motto for companies who are looking to hire highly qualified candidates who can also get a security clearance. Doing a little bit of fact checking up front will save headaches later on because in today’s day and age, it is easy for job applicants

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Security Clearance Process

In total, 37 states have now legalized medical or recreational marijuana use and others have changed laws to decriminalize use or possession. However, under federal law, security clearance applicants and holders must still refrain from any use involving cannabis. This also applies to those who are thinking about investing in stocks or

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Security Clearance Process

The filing deadline to submit 2021 tax returns or an extension to file and pay tax owed was April 18, 2022 for most taxpayers. Taxpayers granted an extension will have until October 17, 2022 to file. It is well established that financial issues are the number one reason for a security clearance denial.

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