Torture in Syrian, NSA reform, and Snowden on trial – Daily Intelligence

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1. Volunteer – it’s good for everyone. Contributor Diana Rodriguez explains why volunteering is a great bridge to your next job: “Volunteer activity shows initiative, dedication, selflessness, and a desire to give back to the community. These attributes can have a great influence on recruiters, and give a resume positive attention that can make the difference in a hire.”

2. I forgot. No, you didn’t. Contributor Ashley LaGanga explains, “Selective memory loss is not a convenient problem for security clearance applicants – it points to personal misconduct, and is almost guaranteed to result in clearance denial. . . . False information on a security clearance application can be mitigated if the overlook was indeed accidental. But such a pattern of intentional deceit is guaranteed to eliminate any chance of obtaining a clearance.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1. Torture in Syria – next on Damascus’ parade of horribles. Time’s Aryn Baker reports on new allegations against the al-Assad regime: “A shocking new report on the Syrian regime’s use of torture and starvation has been released by a team of renowned war-crimes prosecutors, threatening to upend Syrian peace talks scheduled to start on Wednesday in Montreux, Switzerland.” BBC reports, “There is clear evidence that Syria has systematically tortured and executed about 11,000 detainees since the start of the uprising, a report by three former war crimes prosecutors says. The investigators examined thousands of still images of dead prisoners reportedly smuggled out by a defector. One of the authors told the BBC there was evidence of government involvement. Damascus has denied claims of abuse.”

2. Syrian peace talks – on the verge. Aljazeera.Com reports, “UN leader Ban Ki-moon is battling to save a Syria peace conference after the Syrian opposition threatened to withdraw if Iran takes part. Ban’s spokesman said he was ‘dismayed’ by Iran’s refusal to back an international statement calling for a transitional government in Syria and the Syrian opposition’s threat to boycott the talks.” Reuters’ Louis Charbonneau and Parisa Hafezi report, “U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon withdrew a last-minute invitation to Iran to attend peace talks on Syria on Monday after the Syrian opposition threatened to boycott this week’s conference if President Bashar al-Assad’s main sponsor took part.” Iran calls Ban Ki-Moon’s decision ‘”deplorable.’”

3. Iran steps forward on nuclear deal. Christian Science Monitor’s Scott Peterson reports from Istanbul, “Iran halted its most sensitive nuclear work today, suspending nuclear advancement for the first time in nearly a decade and starting a six-month countdown to the deadline for forging a comprehensive deal with world powers. . . . Shortly after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) confirmed that Iran had taken those steps and begun diluting its 20-percent stockpile, modest sanctions relief by the US and European Union kicked in, in accordance with the deal signed on Nov. 24 in Geneva.” TalkingPointsMemo.Com reports, “Iran started to shut down its most sensitive nuclear work on Monday, part of a landmark deal struck with world powers that ease international concerns over the country’s nuclear program and clearing the way for a partial lifting of sanctions.”

4. In Afghanistan, suicide attack in the heart of darkness. LongWarJournal.Org’s Bill Roggio reports, “The Afghan Taliban have claimed credit for a suicide assault on a base in Kandahar province that hosts Coalition and Afghan forces. The suicide assault today in the southern province is the second such attack in Afghanistan in four days. Today’s suicide assault targeted a base in the district of Zhari, long considered to be the cradle of the Taliban movement in Afghanistan. Zhari, which has been described as ‘the heart of darkness’ due to Taliban rule, was one of several districts that the International Security Assistance Force focused on during the limited surge of US forces from 2010 to 2011.”

5. DoD offers support for Sochi. Reuters reports, “The U.S. military said on Monday that air and naval assets, including two ships in the Black Sea, would be made available if needed during the Sochi Winter Olympics in support of Russia, which faces militant threats to disrupt the Games. The Pentagon said U.S. military commanders were ‘conducting prudent planning and preparations’ should American support be required during the Winter Olympics. . . . The most formidable roadblock U.S. officials have discussed regarding contingency plans for Sochi is that Russian authorities have historically been reluctant to allow foreign military forces, especially those of the United States, on Russian territory.”

6. 420,000 by 2019 – Army endstrength. DefenceTalk.Com reports, “In his own words, the G-8 reiterated what the secretary of the Army and chief of staff have both said about downsizing Soldier levels to under 450,000 — ‘even at 450, it’s a high risk for the mission sets and mission tasks that have been given to us.’ Presently, the Army has about 564,000 Soldiers on active duty, but that number has been mandated to come down to 490,000 by 2015.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1. Textron Marine & Land System wins Landing Craft Air Cushions deal. DoDBuzz.Com’s Kris Osborn reports, “Navy is about to begin production of its first nine new Landing Craft Air Cushions, or LCACs, as part of a broad effort to recapitalize existing shore connectors and replace the service’s aging fleet . . . . The LCAC contract mentioned by Capt. Mercer was awarded to Textron Marine & Land System, who is currently working on a next-generation LCAC replacement called Ship to Shore Connector, or SSC. The first SSC is slated to arrive in 2017.”

2. Lockheed’s versatile Long Range Anti-Ship Missile (LRASM). DefenceTalk.Com reports, “During the company-funded test, LRASM and Tactical Tomahawk Weapons Control System (TTWCS), MK 41 VLS and Mk-114 booster hardware with modified software executed simulated missions and provided all electrical interfaces and data transfers needed to prepare and launch LRASMs. LRASM is an autonomous, precision-guided anti-ship standoff missile leveraging the successful Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range heritage, and is designed to meet the Offensive Anti-Surface Weapon needs of U.S. Navy and Air Force warfighters.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1. Snowden on trial: what it would mean. AP’s Kimberly Dozier reports, “Should Edward Snowden ever return to the U.S., he would face criminal charges for leaking information about National Security Agency surveillance programs. But legal experts say a trial could expose more classified information as his lawyers try to build a case in an open court that the operations he exposed were illegal.”

2. Blackberry’s win with DoD. DefenseOne.Com’s Aliya Sternstein reports, “A Pentagon system intended to secure a mix of brand name smartphones for warfighters will primarily support BlackBerrys when the tool starts launching later this month, according to Defense Department officials. About 80,000 BlackBerrys and 1,800 Defense-owned Apple and Android-based phones and tablets will begin being hooked up to the new management system on Jan. 31, officials announced on Friday.”

3. DoD considers having a ball with communications. Wired.Com’s Allen McDuffee reports, “The Pentagon has seen the future of communications, and it is . . . inflatable. It makes sense, if you think about it. Pentagon brass want the military of tomorrow to be nimble and easily deployed, which means its equipment must be as well. That’s why an alphabet soup of Pentagon offices, led by the U.S. Army Project Manager, chipped in for a five-year, $440 million contract to give the Army, Marine Corps and others an inflatable satellite antenna (ISA) currently available only to the badasses in Special Ops.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1. Billy had his eyes open while we were praying! “The finger-pointing over stalled legislation in Congress is escalating. House Republican leaders note that 171 House-passed bills are sitting in the Senate. Democrats in the Senate point out that 33 measures have cleared the upper chamber and are awaiting action in the GOP-led House. The blame game for what has been an unproductive Congress is expected to continue throughout this election year.”

2. Dr. No no more: “The race is on to replace Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), who recently shocked the political world by announcing he’ll leave Congress after 2014 — two years before his term is up. The Oklahoman, a staunch conservative and unwavering fiscal hawk, has been a thorn in the side of both Republicans and Democrats, with his pioneering brand of obstructionism earning him the moniker ‘Dr. No.’ Replacing Coburn with an equally colorful or caustic personality would be a tall order, for he is truly one of a kind. Here are some highlights from his 15-year career in Congress . . . .”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1. “What’s at stake in the key NSA reform.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “At the heart of the problem is the willingness of Americans to hand over some individual sovereignty in exchange for collective security. Obama’s solution suggests a low public trust right now in the government’s ability to safeguard secrecy or prevent abuse of personal information. As James Madison wrote at the country’s founding, Obama seems worried about ‘the abridgment of freedom of the people by gradual and silent encroachments by those in power.’”

2. “Why Iran’s presence in Geneva II is critical for any progress.” Aljazeera.Com contributor Rami G. Khouri argues, “The Iranian government logically must participate in the Geneva talks because its role in Syria is central to developments in that war; and what happens in Syria is deeply linked to, and will influence, future developments across much of the Middle East, which in turn will shape the influence of the US, Russia and Saudi Arabia across the region. Iran’s central role in Syria mirrors, and is part of, its wider positioning and influence across the Middle East, so it is deeply invested in the current and future condition of the Assad government.”

3. “New Fronts in the GOP Civil War: A focus on tactics and strategy, not ideology.” USNews.Com’s Robert Schlesinger explains, “The arrival this week of a $1.1 trillion ‘omnibus’ spending bill – which will keep the government open for the rest of the fiscal year – established a new front in the political civil war which is working its way through the GOP. The bill was the fill-in-the-details byproduct of the broad budget agreement that Patty Murray and Paul Ryan, the chairs of the Senate and House budget committees, respectively, hashed out in December. It was a refreshing reminder of the definition of the word compromise, with both sides coming out with minor victories and minor concessions. As the Associated Press reported this week, ‘The massive measure contains dozens of trade-offs between Democrats and Republicans as it fleshes out the details of the budget deal that Congress made last month.’ Maybe Congress can sing ‘Kumbaya’ and chew gum at the same time after all.”