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 a previous post, “Online Dating Sites, Sextortion, and Your Clearance”, I covered the pitfalls and potential for blackmail for clearance holders while using online dating sites. In a similar scenario, a recent Department of Energy contractor lost his security clearance  when a woman for whom he was providing financial assistance

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Security Clearance Process

Back in 2005 the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) put the government-wide security clearance process on its “High Risk” list of federal areas in need of a desperate overhaul. It stayed on the list until 2011. Last week the GAO, foregoing the wait on its regularly scheduled update in early

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Adjudication

Many posts on this forum have commented on how long the adjudication phase of the background investigation process is and that no reliable benchmark information is available on timelines. It can be frustrating I know, but here are a few things to consider. The Department of Defense Consolidated Adjudication Facility

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Career AdviceSecurity Clearance Jobs

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) has published the new Intelligence.gov website, showcasing the people, organizations, and work the Intelligence Community (IC) provides in support of our country and national security. Michael Thomas, ODNI Deputy Transparency Officer and executive editor of the website, said in a news release the

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