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 Denial

Going to work slightly drunk from the previous night is one thing, but it is not as egregious as drinking alcohol while on the job. A DoD contractor was denied clearance eligibility due to alcohol abuse and psychological conditions. He subsequently appealed to the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals

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Security Clearance Denial

A contractor was recently denied eligibility for a security clearance by the DoD CAF based on financial issues and personal conduct. He subsequently appealed to the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals. Here are the highlights of the case: The DoD contractor’s history of financial issues first started in 2007 when he

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Security Clearance Denial

Many security clearances holders who have Top Secret or Secret clearance eligibility (also known as collateral) are wary about applying for jobs that require Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access, especially when it requires a polygraph. The reason for this wariness is the unknown of what happens to their collateral clearance if

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Security Clearance Process

Much has been written in blog posts and articles about national security positions within the Intelligence Community and DoD components that require a polygraph, but not many have touched on another requirement some positions may also require, and that is the Financial Disclosure Report (Standard Form 714). This lengthy four-page report

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