FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCE JOBS.COM
1. Latest whistle blown: overtime abuse at DHS. Contributor Charles Simmins explains, “The Office of Special Counsel (OPC) is taking a long, hard look at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Whistleblowers have come forward with allegations that DHS employees routinely abused overtime in at least six different locations. News reports cite a letter to the President from OPC dated Oct. 31. . . . The OPC believes that up to $9 million in overtime annually was claimed by DHS employees contrary to regulations governing the use of AUO, a press release from the agency states. The letter to the President details an on-going misuse of AUO among personnel in the Situation Room of the Commissioner of Customs and Border Protection.”
2. Jillian Hamilton’s crystal ball. With a little research and situational awareness, you might tap in to the next big market, before it is the next big market: “For job seekers or companies looking to strategically align services and products with growing markets, this also means finding ways to stay ahead of the status quo. In previous years, for job seekers this may have meant additional education or companies trying to hire additional talent, but in leaner times, here are some ways to navigate the job prospects and hone individual or corporate expertise when looking at ways to get into defense contracting, changing careers, or acquiring strategic contracts in growing markets . . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. VPOTUS walks a tightrope in Asia. Reuters.Com contributor David Brunnstrom and Roberta Rampton report, “The military posturing has raised fears of a clash between the United States and its allies and China as it becomes more assertive in the East China Sea and South China Sea under President Xi Jinping. . . . Despite the military standoff, U.S. officials see increased cooperation on a range of issues from climate change to North Korea’s nuclear weapons ambitions a year after Xi took over the helm of the Communist Party.”
2. Now they’re really desperate — Japan seeks U.N. help. NYTimes.Com’s Martin Fackler reports, “Seeking broader international support for opposing China’s claims to airspace over the East China Sea, Japan has asked the United Nations agency that oversees civil aviation to look into whether the newly created Chinese air defense zone could endanger civilian airliners . . . . China has said its new zone would not affect civilian air traffic, and was aimed instead at stopping Japanese military aircraft from entering airspace that it says rightfully belongs to China. However, China says that all aircraft, including commercial flights, must submit a flight plan before entering the zone.”
3. In Iraq, death toll passes 8,000. Aljazeera.Com reports, “An alarming number of Iraqis killed ‘execution-style’ last month signaled an increase in targeted killings as the overall death toll in Iraq so far this year rose above 8,000 . . . . The bodies, usually dumped on the street and mutilated, have heightened fears that the country is sliding back toward all-out warfare between Sunni and Shia factions. Underscoring the dangers, three bombs tore through the funeral procession of the son of an anti-al-Qaida Sunni tribal chief northeast of Baghdad, the deadliest in a wave of attacks that killed 17 people, Iraqi officials said on Sunday. Widespread chaos nearly tore the country apart following the 2003 US-led invasion that ousted Saddam Hussein’s Sunni-dominated government.” The AP’s Kim Gamel and Sameer N. Yacoub add, “Iraqis have grown used to random explosions, but the recent discoveries of bullet-riddled bodies have many worried about a long-feared resumption of all-out warfare between Shiite and Sunni factions.”
4. In Afghanistan, a view of things to come, perhaps. Khaama.Com reports, “The US military in Afghanistan has scaled back logistics supports including fuel delivery and supply to a number of Afghan national army and Afghan police forces military units. Afghan defense and interior ministry officials said Sunday that the step by US military has disturb the Afghan national security forces routine operations. . . . the NATO-led International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) following a statement said, ‘There has been no stoppage in the delivery of requested fuel and we continue to process all orders as soon as they are received from the ANSF. We remain committed to supporting our ANSF partners and will continue to do so.’”
5. Iran looks for 4 new nuclear power plants. AP’s Nasser Karimi reports, “Iran’s nuclear chief said Sunday that the Islamic Republic needs more nuclear power plants, the country’s official news agency reported, just after it struck a deal regarding its contested nuclear program with world powers. . . . Iran is in talks with several countries – including Russia – to build four more nuclear power plants to produce 5,000 megawatts of power in the near future.” Reuters’ Alexandra Hudson examines economic promise with economic isolation in its wake: “Should all sanctions be lifted, Iran could be worth perhaps 5 billion euros of exports a year to Germany. They totaled almost 4 billion euros in 2008, before sanctions took hold. Last year Iran bought just 2.5 billion euros’ worth of German goods.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. EU-US Team for $91 million Ballistic Missile Defense. DefenseNews.Com’s Pierre Train reports, “Four European companies have teamed with an American firm to bid in NATO’s tender for design work on ballistic-missile defense . . . . The military alliance is expected to open a competition in December or January for a seven-year contract valued at an estimated €67 million (US $91 million) for system engineering and integration for missile defense in Europe.”
2. Quality IT procurement on the ropes. FCW. Com contributors Mark Rockwell, Adam Mazmanian, Frank Konkel, and Reid Davenport explain, “In federal procurement, getting what you want starts with people who know how to ask the right questions. A risk-averse workforce that is behind on training can drag down the entire enterprise. Unfortunately, training that keeps employees up-to-date on changing IT technology has been one of the first victims of sequestration cuts, said Dan Gordon, former administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy and now an associate dean at George Washington University Law School. . . . a lack of training contributes to a growing gap between the private and public sectors.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Emotions in motion. NYTimes.Com’s Anne Eisenberg reports, “Now, computer software is using frame-by-frame video analysis to read subtle muscular changes that flash across our faces in milliseconds, signaling emotions like happiness, sadness and disgust. With face-reading software, a computer’s webcam might spot the confused expression of an online student and provide extra tutoring. Or computer-based games with built-in cameras could register how people are reacting to each move in the game and ramp up the pace if they seem bored. . . . For some, this type of technology raises an Orwellian specter. And Affectiva is aware that its face-reading software could stir privacy concerns.”
2. Wearable Technology – top 10 principles. VentureBeat.Com contributor Marcus Weller explains, “In the coming decade, wearable technology will touch nearly every aspect of our lives. It will allow us to bring the power of the Internet to everything we do. CB Insights reports that VC funding for wearable tech recently surpassed half a billion dollars and is rapidly accelerating. In the face of such optimism it is critical not to confuse novelty with value to the consumer. The best products in this space provide an ongoing utility beyond the novel location of the device. Wearable companies that do not live this utilitarian mantra will quickly find themselves left on the nightstand while their customers move to more useful products.”
3. Geek wars heat up. AP’s Martha Mendoza reports, “Encrypted email, secure instant messaging and other privacy services are booming in the wake of the National Security Agency’s recently revealed surveillance programs. But the flood of new computer security services is of variable quality, and much of it, experts say, can bog down computers and isn’t likely to keep out spies. . . . Meanwhile, the U.S. government’s computing power continues to grow. This fall, the NSA plans to open a $1.7 billion cyber-arsenal – a Utah data center filled with super-powered computers designed to store massive amounts of classified information, including data that awaits decryption.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Sequestration sequence – tighten up the budget belts: “While a House-Senate budget committee is striving to come up with a full-year spending package that could avert another sequester, a deal currently appears far off. Under the deal that ended October’s partial government shutdown, the committee has a mid-December deadline to reach agreement.”
2. Like cramming for exams: “The House could act on a flurry of bipartisan deals when it returns in December for the final two legislative weeks of 2013. Or, it could head home for the holidays emptyhanded. Negotiators are trying to finish House-Senate conference reports on the budget, a farm bill and a water projects bill before the end of the year. Aides say there is a slim chance that all three could be done in time for the House to vote in 2013, but a likelier scenario is one or two of them will be punted into next year.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “Pulling Egypt from the brink.” Aljazeera.Com contributor Nathalie Tocci argues, “As Egypt’s political and economic transformation slows down, the United States and the European Union may end up diverging on their foreign policy paths. The US will seek to re-establish the pre-2011 security status quo, while the EU will have to veer around the political crisis to preserve its economic interests in the country.”
2. “Tired of Fighting, Americans Give Obama Space On Iran.” DefenseOne.Com contributor Ronald Brownstein argues, “While polls show that Americans would ultimately use force to prevent Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons, the bipartisan congressional and public recoil against military action in Syria this fall probably offers a more revealing picture of the nation’s mood after Afghanistan and Iraq.”
3. “’Do-Nothing’ Congress Was Way More Productive Than the Current One.” USNews.Com contributor Lauren Fox argues, “So far Congress has passed just 52 laws this year. Some were notable legislative accomplishments like the Violence Against Women Act and a student loan bill that ties loan interest rates to treasury notes. But a host of the other bills passed in the 113th Congress have been little more than cosmetic.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Nuclear options.
2. Holiday cheer.
