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

Your ancestors came over from the “Old Country” a generation or two ago before you came along, and now you want to embrace their heritage and culture, and perhaps reconnect with previously unknown extended family members. You go for a visit and think it would be cool to get dual

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Background Investigations

Senate members grilled OPM Director Beth Colbert this week about concerns regarding the transition of background investigation responsibilities from OPM’s Federal Investigative Services (FIS) to the new National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB). Among the concerns outlined in the letter of inquiry to OPM was the fear that the NBIB is simply a

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Security Clearance Denial

Effective May 12, 2016 security clearance background investigations may include the collection and review of publicly available media information in determining eligibility for access to classified information. The long awaited policy release, Security Executive Agent Direction 5, gives the Federal government authority to implement these checks, however, it leaves it

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Security Clearance Process

With the ever-increasing number of veterans returning from multiple tours of duty in hostile fire zones who are diagnosed with some level of post-traumatic stress disorder (PSTD), Question #21 on the SF-86 scares a lot of security clearance applicants. This fear stems from the belief that admitting to getting professional counseling

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