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

Isolated instances of not following rules or protocol when taken by themselves are usually not a concern when it comes to determining eligibility for access to classified national security information. However, when a pattern of rule-breaking starts to emerge it is an indication of a deeper psychological issue when the

Read More
Security Clearance Denial

Having been in the military myself, I know it takes quite a bit to get kicked out for misconduct. Commanders give their troops every available option to rehabilitate behavioral issues before resorting to discharge proceedings. A DoD contractor security clearance applicant, also former marine, was denied eligibility for a clearance

Read More
Security Clearance Denial

Marijuana use is becoming more prevalent as the number of states that legalize its use for medical or recreational use increases. Some have legitimate reasons for getting a medical marijuana card, e.g., relieves anxiety from PTSD or chronic back pain. Other use marijuana just to get high or to obtain

Read More
Security Clearance Process

The Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency is responsible for running the DoD’s Continuous Vetting (CV) Program and during the last National Industrial Security Program Policy Advisory Committee (NISPPAC) reported getting 19,000 alerts so far in Fiscal Year 2021 on 14,000 different contractors with a security clearance. That means there were

Read More