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

Three months ago no one could have imagined the situation the world finds itself in now. Many were looking forward to spring break, others were getting ready to file taxes, and life was normal on the local restaurant and bar scene. Now, most of the country is homebound, millions are

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Security Clearance Denial

Under the National Security Adjudicative Guidelines (SEAD-4) Guideline I: Psychological Conditions it states certain emotional, mental, and personality conditions that can impair judgment, stability, reliability or trustworthiness are a concern. The Adjudicative Desk Reference goes into further details regarding specific types of mental or personality disorders, why they are concerning,

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Background Investigations

It isn’t just federal employees or contractors in the Pacific Northwest who are being instructed to telecommute. The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has also urged agencies to ensure that federal employees are prepared to telework, and earlier this month it issued new preliminary guidance on how this should be

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Security Clearance Denial

Out of ninety-three security clearance appeal decisions made by the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) so far in 2020, sixty-eight of them involved financial issues. Failure to file or pay Federal and state taxes, delinquent credit cards accounts, collections, and a historical pattern of irresponsibility continue to plague

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