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 Investigations

The number of background investigators working on National Background Investigation Bureau (NBIB) cases has tripled over the last few years in an effort to whittle down the massive backlog of cases. As well, the number of companies providing contractor investigative services went from two to four. While this is good

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Obtaining Security Clearance

More than a year ago, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) added marijuana extracts to its list of Schedule 1 drugs. Schedule 1 drugs, substances, or chemicals are defined as drugs with no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse. Cannabidiol (CBD) and CBD oils are considered extracts. These

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Security Clearance Process

The National Background Investigations Bureau released their first report in response to Public Law 115-173 (also known as the SECRET Act of 2018) and the numbers are staggering. Here is a quick look as of July 2018: DoD Employees and Contractors 282,489 initial national security investigations (84,289 for Top Secret

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Security Clearance Denial

Many on this site have asked if the results of a polygraph taken with another agency can result in a security clearance revocation with your current employer. The answer is yes if the conduct or issues disclosed in the polygraph fall within the 13 adjudicative guidelines that apply to all

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