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

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) issued Security Executive Agent Directive-3 (SEAD-3) in June 2017 outlining reporting requirements for all security clearance holders. Foreign travel was specifically called out and requires clearance holders to submit a travel itinerary and get approval prior to commencing on travel. Agencies

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Security Clearance Process

The new Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA) website went live last week, replacing the National Background Investigations Bureau (NBIB) and Defense Security Service (DSS) websites as the authoritative resource for background investigation and security clearance processing. The NBIB and DSS links will stay active through December 2019 while at

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Security Clearance Denial

I have noticed an uptick in the number of cases reviewed by the Defense Office of Hearing and Appeals (DOHA) involving foreign influence concerns. Security clearance applicants were denied eligibility under a variety of factors listed under Guideline B; Foreign Influence. Here are some examples of the concerns involved: Applicant’s

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Security Clearance Denial

After sending two emails containing classified information on an unclassified network to unauthorized recipients, a U.S. Air Force civilian employee was fired and his clearance was revoked.

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