TURNOVER: Lieutenant General Flynn assumes the directorship of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) this morning at approximately 1030AM EDT. During the ceremony, Burgess will relinquish control of the two hats he currently wears to Flynn, which includes control of the Joint Functional Component Command – Intelligence Surveillance Reconnaissance as well as the directorship of DIA writ large. With collaboration between the Central Intelligence Agency and the Department of Defense at an all-time high — and tensions at an all-time low — many in the defense industry are watching closely to see what changes come about under the general’s tenure. DIA is already hiring new people to support such efforts: among others, they’re looking for someone to run the Recruitment Branch in the Talent Acquisition and Placement Division, in the Office of Human Resources.  Even a casual observer can tell DIA under General Flynn will move aggressively to support the new initiatives instituted by Director Clapper, Secretary Vickers and Director Flynn.

An excerpt from the above job announcement:

Serves as a second-level supervisor/management official/deputy and a senior operations support advisor to Human Intelligence (HUMINT) operations and activities. As such, incumbent organizes, plans, supervises and directs work through subordinate supervisors responsible for the acquisition and execution of operations support mechanisms and programs supporting HUMINT field collection. Has authority for planning and managing the overall efficiency and effectiveness of assigned operations support, and implementation of policies, procedures and instructions issued by higher authorities. Directs and monitors the utilization of resources (i.e., staff, funds, space, and equipment) in executing, developing, and attaining program goals and operational requirements. Utilizes basic contracting knowledge to approve contracts and contract modifications.

UNINTENTIONAL SEGWAY: WaPo: “Sixteen months into the uprising in Syria, the United States is struggling to develop a clear understanding of opposition forces inside the country, according to U.S. officials who said that intelligence gaps have impeded efforts to support the ouster of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.”

SECRECY — OR LACK THEREOF

The Pentagon is helping civilian agencies block access to classified networks by anyone who does not have a new smart card. Defense Department officials already had announced the ongoing distribution of the new tokens that employees will need to enter the Secret Internet Protocol Router Network, which handles the military’s classified data.

The General Services Administration announced it has signed a lease to occupy 270,000 rentable square feet on six floors at One World Trade Center in New York City. They will occupy floors 50 through 55 of the building for 20 years, starting in 2015.

The number of people who held security clearances for access to classified information increased last year to a new reported high of more than 4.8 million persons as of October 1, 2011, a new report to Congress prepared by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence said.

Certain types of classified information pertaining to nuclear weapons are going to be downgraded or declassified, the Department of State indicated in a newly disclosed report.

Bi-annual Report on Operations of the National Declassification Center — January 1, 2012 – June 30, 2012

This is the fifth report on the status of the National Declassification Center (NDC). NDC status reports are issued bi-annually, approximately two weeks after the reporting deadlines of June 30 and December 31.

BOOTS ON THE GROUND: Hurlburt Field, home to many Air Force Special Operations Command facilities, hosted the Pensacola Air Force Junior ROTC Summer Leadership School 2012.

Commandant and sergeant major of the Marine Corps visited Marines and Sailors of the Special-Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force (SPMAGTF-Africa) operating in and around the USAFRICOM Area of Responsibility.

HEARINGS:  

Understanding the Homeland Threat Landscape

WHEN:      Wednesday, July 25, 2012 — 10am

WHERE:     311 Cannon

WHO: Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano and National Counterterrorism Center (NCTC) Director Matthew Olsen

 

Afghan National Security Forces and Security Lead Transition: The Assessment Process, Metrics, and Efforts to Build Capability

WHEN: Tuesday, July 24, 2012 – 2pm

WHERE: 2212 Rayburn

WHO: Dr. Anthony Cordesman, Colonel Joseph Felter, Ph.D. (retired) & Ambassador Kenneth Moorefield

 

Digital Warriors: Improving Military Capabilities for Cyber Operations

WHEN: Wednesday, July 25, 2012 – 3:30pm

WHERE: 2118 Rayburn

WHO: Vice Admiral Michael S. Rogers, USN, Lieutenant General Rhett A. Hernandez, USA, Lieutenant General Richard P. Mills, USMC, Major General Suzanne M. Vautrinot, USAF. The commanding officer of Marine Cryptologic Support Battalion, Lieutenant Colonel Ryan R Gutzwiller, USMC ,will not be present.

CONTRACTS:

Smaller budgets may force contract consolidation, especially among the military branches and DHS. Intelligence agencies will likely continue to be able to make the case for awarding their own contracts. Smaller budgets may force streamlining of duplicative contract vehicles.

The Office of Naval Research has established the Rapid Innovation Fund primarily for technologies developed by small businesses, according to Nextgov. The Navy plans to spend $50 million to help small companies take ideas from lab to field in areas such as green tech and microelectronics, according to contract databases. Businesses selected for the award may receive up to $3 million in Rapid Innovation Fund money.

The Department of Defense plans to award as many as three companies a total of $195 million to build prototypes of new Humvees as it seeks to shift its focus away from the ground wars of the past decade, the Washington Post reported. Humvee maker AM General is competing for the work against companies including Lockheed Martin, BAE Systems, Navistar International and Oshkosh

The Valbin Corporation is currently bidding on a contract and is seeking Tagalog Language Instructors/Cultural Advisors that are available to work during August 2012 – and it’s looking for them on Craigslist.

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Robert Caruso is a veteran of the United States Navy, and has worked for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Business Transformation Agency and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.