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.

Obtaining Security Clearance

With an increase in the number of states who have either legalized marijuana for medicinal and recreational use, or have decriminalized it, we have also seen an uptick in the number of security clearance applicants who admit to using it as recently as the day before submitting their SF-86. Most

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Adjudication

Under most State laws reckless driving is defined as a major moving violation that generally consists of driving a vehicle with willful or wanton disregard for the safety of persons or property. It is considered a more serious offense than careless driving, improper driving, or driving without due care and is punishable

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Security Clearance Process

The security clearance appeal process is where an individual is allowed to present their case via document response or in person with counsel if they choose, along with other witnesses and exhibits. Pre-pandemic, almost all federal agencies held security clearance appeal proceedings in person. The Defense Office of Hearings and

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Security Clearance Denial

Financial considerations continue to be the top issue in the denial of eligibility for a security clearance. I have noticed a few recent appeals to the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) where clearance applicants are using the President’s decision to hold student loan payments in abeyance as an excuse when submitting their

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