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.

Polygraph

The use of illegal drugs (under Federal law) is a sure-fire way to lose eligibility for a security clearance, especially if you already have one. All clearance holders get a security briefing about their responsibilities, acceptable conduct, and reporting requirements. Most take it to heart and toe the line. Others…well,

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Obtaining Security Clearance

As we all know, divorces have the potential to get messy. Property and monetary compensation are motivation for one or both parties to resort to emotional manipulation and false accusations in order to gain leverage in negotiations. Maintaining eligibility for a security clearance could also be at risk if the

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Background InvestigationsSecurity Clearance Process

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) is now the largest and primary security agency in the U.S. Government after absorbing the personnel and responsibilities from the Defense Security Service (DSS) and National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB).  This latest transformation is just one of many over the years. For many

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Obtaining Security Clearance

A recent Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) case caught my eye because it involved the rarely used adjudicative guideline pertaining to allegiance to the United States. Here is a quick summary of the case: The DOD CAF had issued a Statement of Reasons to a defense contractor citing

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