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

Facility Security Officers (FSO) and Security Managers, if you haven’t already done so, you should take note of the impending transition of the Joint Personnel Adjudication System (JPAS) over to the Defense Information System for Security (DISS) next month. The Defense Security Service has published a document called “Preparing for

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Security Clearance Denial

In the Illegal Drug Use section of the SF-86 it asks “In the last seven years, have you intentionally engaged in the misuse of prescription drugs, regardless of whether or not the drugs were prescribed for you or someone else?” Clearance holders and applicants should pay attention to the wording

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Security Clearance Process

The Defense Security Service’s Personnel Security Management and Oversight-Industry (PSMO-I) is responsible for processing contractor security clearances for industry and overseeing continuous evaluation and insider threat programs on behalf of Department of Defense (DoD) and 32 other Federal agencies who participate in the National Industrial Security Program (NISP). In their

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Obtaining Security Clearance

What is the difference between having a security clearance versus being found eligible for a security clearance? This question has confounded many applicants after they have endured the long and arduous national security background investigation process and were told it was favorably adjudicated. Many who thought they were cleared found

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