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.

Polygraph

Last month the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) released a revised Security Executive Agent Directive (SEAD) 2: Use of Polygraph in Support of Personnel Security Determinations for Initial or Continued Eligibility for Access to Classified Information or Eligibility to Hold a Sensitive Position. SEAD-2 provides policy guidance for

Read More
Security Clearance Denial

The Department of Defense (DoD) denied security clearance eligibility to a defense contractor for not paying on over $27,000 in delinquent debts despite having an annual income of $120,000. The contractor subsequently appealed the decision with the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) who upheld the denial. Here is

Read More
Security Clearance Process

The Senate recently passed a bill called the Intelligence Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2021 with an intent to provide exclusivity, consistency, and transparency in security clearance procedures for Intelligence Community agencies with the right of government employees to appeal unfavorable eligibility determinations to an agency-level panel. This higher level

Read More
Background Investigations

A supervisory human resource specialist at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) was removed as a result of an adverse suitability determination after the completion of a public trust background investigation needed for his position. This individual was a supervisory human resources specialist with the Department of the Army (DA)

Read More