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

There has been much discussion about what constitutes a foreign national contact when filling out the SF-86 or what the reporting requirements are under continuous evaluation. Opinions are diverse and open to a matter of interpretation. However, a State Department employee who had a Top Secret security clearance went a

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Background Investigations

There is still a lot of confusion out there about what type of investigation is needed for a particular position and whether it results in a security clearance. Do you know if the job you applied for is low risk with no clearance, public trust with no clearance, or a

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Security Clearance Denial

The first case heard by the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals Board in 2017 involved issues regarding handling protected information, misuse of IT systems, and personal conduct. The crux of this case stemmed from the applicant’s continued disregard for following company instructions not to access classified information that he

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Obtaining Security Clearance

As a part of continuous evaluation requirements clearance holders are supposed to notify their agency or company security officers whenever they have been arrested or charged with a criminal offense. Many do not, or delay in communicating the information in hopes that they can get the charges dropped or downgraded. 

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