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 Process

Agencies across DoD and the Federal government should take note of DOE’s National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) Personnel Security Program and how they provide customer service to their cleared population and applicants. Their program appears well organized, user friendly, and provides easy to find information about each stage of the

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Security Clearance Jobs

Grumblings from the field about DOD agencies denying contractors access to facilities and/or classified information because their investigations are out of scope has elicited a response from the Director for Defense Intelligence. This issue was addressed in a December 7, 2016 memorandum issued by the Office of the Undersecretary of

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Adjudication

The adjudicative criteria for review of background investigations conducted for the issuance of the Dod Common Access Card (CAC) is governed by DoD Instruction 5200.46 published in September 2014. A little known fact, at least up to now, was that the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA), the same

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Security Clearance Denial

We all know PTSD is a serious concern for our returning Warfighters and veterans. Some common symptoms associated with PTSD are nightmares, increased anxiety, difficulty remembering or concentrating, mood swings, and reliving traumatic events. PTSD in and of itself is not a disqualifier for eligibility to hold a security clearance

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