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

In one of the more unusual Defense Office of Hearing an Appeals (DOHA) cases, the contractor, who had possessed clearance eligibility since 1997, had it revoked by the DoD in 2019 due to security concerns involving sexual behavior, illegal drug use, and personal conduct. He subsequently submitted a written appeal to

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Security Clearance Process

At the recent National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee (NISPPAC) meeting the Defense Office of Hearing an Appeals (DOHA) representative provided some interesting information about how DOHA was operating pre-COVID versus how it has adapted post-COVID. Prior to the pandemic, applicants who wanted an in-person hearing had to travel to the hearing

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Security Clearance Process

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) is continuing its organizational transformation with the goal of being able to be more dynamic and responsive to future challenges in adjudicating background investigations and reviewing Continuous Vetting (CV) alerts. Their Consolidated Adjudications Services (CAS) Division has merged with the Vetting Risk Operations (VRO) Division

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Security Clearance Process

National Security Adjudicators enter their adjudicative determinations into the various systems of record used to house security clearance information (DISS, CVS, Scattered Castles, etc.).  These determinations could be to grant, deny, or revoke eligibility. They can also enter loss of jurisdiction, close no action, or no determination made. So, what

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