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

I was reading through the transcript of a recent Department of Energy (DOE) Office of Hearing and Appeals case and was astounded when I came to the part about why this DOE contractor used marijuana while possessing a security clearance, and then lied about it. In 2017 the contractor underwent

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Security Clearance Jobs

Two years ago, all national security background investigations that required an applicant or source interview were done in-person by a background investigator. Only in extreme circumstances (e.g., deployed, geographically challenging to be cost effective, or hospitalization) were telephonic or video interviews allowed. Fast forward to March 2020, now most interviews

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Security Clearance Denial

In Security Executive Agent Directive (SEAD) 4 under Guideline I; Psychological Conditions it states certain emotional, mental, and personality conditions can impair judgment, reliability, or trustworthiness.  A recent Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) case involved a DoD contractor who was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), previously known as Asperger’s

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Security Clearance Jobs

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) is in the process of building an Information Technology (IT) system for personnel vetting to replace the systems currently in use by various agencies. This new system is called the National Background Investigation Services (NBIS) and it will include all of the steps

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