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.

Background InvestigationsSecurity Clearance Process

You were hired on for that dream job, flew through the background investigation process (well, maybe not really, but one can hope), and were granted a security clearance. What should you do now? I always recommend you request a copy of your own closed background investigation to keep for future

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Adjudication

It has been a while since I have focused on the adjudicator’s role in the security clearance process, but a recent Department of Justice report of investigation caught my eye, specifically because it detailed the failure of senior Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) managers to follow the recommendations of personnel security adjudicators in suspending

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Background InvestigationsObtaining Security Clearance

I have seen an uptick in the number of cases taken on by Federal prosecutors related to security clearance holders caught lying on the SF-86. It seems that this particular long-standing issue has garnered more attention in the current clearance reform arena and providing false information is being taken more

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Security Clearance Denial

For those that find themselves deployed to a combat zone, take heed in regards to filing and paying state taxes. In a recent Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals case involving state tax delinquencies, the board denied the applicant’s appeal. Here are the particulars of the case:   This applicant was deployed

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