FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. The Clearance—Guidelines. Contributor Charles Simmins explains, “The help wanted advertisement or job announcement tells you that hiring is contingent on receiving the necessary security clearance. Before you apply, prepare. No lies, no stretching the truth. Gather the information that you will need and then apply for the position. If you know you are not eligible for a security clearance today, consider waiting before applying or take steps to mitigate issues.”
2. Bracing for BRAC. Contributor Diana Rodriguez advises, “BRAC has been, and will continue to be a controversial and divisive topic. The legacy of the changes and adjustments brought about by BRAC in the lives of those affected continues. Preparing for a new round of BRAC will certainly mean a need for awareness, flexibility, and many potentially life-changing decisions. Stay tuned for upcoming news and information on this topic.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Crack in Iraq. Christian Science Monitor’s Jane Arraf reports, “Now Iraq is once again confronting a tumultuous moment bound up in geography and history. Eleven years after the United States toppled the despotic Hussein, concern has shifted from whether the once-hegemonic Arab nation poses a threat to the region to something far different: whether the internal divisions that beset the country could lead to its eventual breakup.” DefenseOne.Com reports, “Iraq’s Elections Setting Up ‘Worst Case Scenario.’”
2. al-Assad Successes. Aljazeera.Com reports, “Syrian government troops seized two towns, one of them an ancient Christian hamlet north of Damascus, as part of the military’s relentless offensive along the rugged frontier with Lebanon . . . . forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad captured Sarkha early on Monday before also quickly sweeping rebels out of the nearby town of Maaloula. . . . ‘The army has taken full control of Maaloula and restored security and stability. Terrorism has been defeated in Qalamoun [the region where Maaloula is located]’ . . . .”
3. Asia-Pacific Success. American Forces Press Service’s Jim Garamone reports, “Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel believes his just completed 10-day trip to the Asia-Pacific region was an ‘overwhelming success,’ a Pentagon spokesman said today. Hagel hosted the Association of Southeast Asian Nations defense ministerial in Hawaii, before moving on to Japan, China and Mongolia. ‘This trip offered yet another opportunity to share views and exchange ideas on a wide range of topics’ . . . . It is another visible demonstration of the importance the department places on the Asia-Pacific region, and the continuing priority we place on the rebalance.’”
4. Ukraine—instability grows. Reuters’ Thomas Grove reports from Kiev, “Ukraine’s president on Monday threatened military action after pro-Russian separatists occupying government buildings in the east ignored an ultimatum to leave and another group of rebels attacked a police headquarters in the troubled region. . . . His warning raised fears of possible Russian military intervention, but there were no signs of any Ukrainian forces in Slaviansk on Monday and no sign of an anti-terrorist operation.”
5. Army’s new Gear Strategy. DefenseNews.Com’s Paul McLeary reports, “The US Army is putting the finishing touches on a bold new strategy for how it prepositions stocks of critical equipment around the globe, how it uses those stocks to speed deployments — and who pays for it. Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno ordered the revised strategy last year as part of his vision to make the service more capable of deploying quickly to meet threats, and assist in humanitarian and disaster relief missions.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Plunging—Army contract spending. FederalTimes.Com’s Andy Medici reports, “The Army expects its total contract spending to fall $22 billion—about 25 percent—in fiscal 2014 . . . . the service is projecting its spending on contracts will drop from $87.3 billion in fiscal 2013 to $65 billion in 2014 as it continues to wrestle with congressional budget cuts. The Army’s spending on contracts will probably remain low through fiscal 2019 before spending begins to increase again . . . .”
2. New GSA contract platform. NextGov.Com’s Joseph Marks reports, “The General Services Administration’s information technology contracting office is seeking industry feedback on plans for the next governmentwide contract vehicle for telecommunications and related services. GSA is in the process of developing Network Services 2020, or NS2020, a slate of approved vendors offering everything from basic telephone and data services to niche satellite and infrastructure contracts for federal agencies.”
3. $1 billion radio contract. C4ISRNet.Com’s Michael Peck reports, “Exelis has been awarded a five-year contract, with a maximum value of $988 million, to provide radio appliqués capable of running the Army’s Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW). The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract includes five one-year option periods.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Heartbleed—prognosis. Reuters’ Jim Finkle reports, “The U.S. government warned banks and other businesses on Friday to be on alert for hackers seeking to steal data exposed by the ‘Heartbleed’ bug, as a German programmer took responsibility for the widespread security crisis. On a website for advising critical infrastructure operators about emerging cyber threats, the Department of Homeland Security asked organizations to report any Heartbleed-related attacks, adding that hackers were attempting to exploit the bug in widely used OpenSSL code by scanning targeted networks.” DefenseOne.Com reports, “NSA Reportedly Exploited Heartbleed Bug For Spying Purposes.”
2. Solar circle around the globe. Wired.Com’s Jordan Golson reports, “The solar airplane that flew across the United States is back, bigger, better and turned up to 11. Bertrand Piccard and André Borschberg made history last year when they flew across the country in a giant airplane powered only by the sun. The two traded stints in the cockpit of a sophisticated aircraft with the wingspan of a Boeing 747, four small motors and a cruising speed of just 29 mph. That airplane, known simply by its Swiss identification number HB-SIA, was an impressive bit of engineering, but merely a prototype for the more sophisticated machine the Solar Impulse team hopes to fly around the world next year.”
3. Spy in the sky. AP reports, “The Air Force has launched a new spy satellite. An unmanned blasted off Thursday from Cape Canaveral with a satellite for the National Reconnaissance Office. No details about the classified satellite were divulged. It’s intended for national security.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Beating the Bushes: “Senate Republicans are warning that ‘Bush fatigue’ could weigh on GOP chances of capturing the White House in 2016 if Jeb Bush wins the nomination. Many Republicans think the former Florida governor would have made a better president than his brother George W. Bush, but GOP lawmakers now wonder if he has fallen out of step with the ideological direction of the party. More than seven years after leaving office, he’s struck a decidedly centrist tone which could make it hard to mobilize conservative base voters.
2. Suck it up: “’Don’t suck up.’ How can I say that with a straight face to someone working on the Hill? . . . Political Washington is of a flock of ducks, visibly consisting of glistening feathers and preening heads, while beneath the surface there’s a lot of furious paddling going on. The older people supervising the paddling are as likely to be closeted curmudgeons as bosses anywhere. So be aware some of the things that might make them write you off.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “Afghan democracy: Myths and promises.” Aljazeera.Com contributor Davood Moradian argues, “Afghanistan’s third democratisation attempt confronts two formidable challenges that derailed the previous two efforts, however, the current endeavour is owned by millions of citizens who came to vote on April 5 despite the Taliban’s army of suicide bombers, profound disappointment with the Afghan government, and the cloud of uncertainty over the future of the country.”
2. “Why the Pentagon Should Reduce Its Civilian Workforce . . . .” DefenseOne.Com contributor and U.S. Representative Ken Calvert argues, “The growth of the civilian workforce within the Defense Department continues to create a significant budgetary burden but, more importantly, if we fail to act, it will threaten our men and women in uniform.”
3. “The EU-U.S. love-hate relationship.” Reuters contributor Nicholas Wapshott argues, “Right now, however, it seems EU leaders are biding their time, hoping something to turn up, in the belief that if all else fails, the United States will again save them from themselves. With more than half of Americans now ready to turn their back on the rest of the world, the highest figure for more than 50 years, that complacent belief is as foolish as it is dangerous.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Afghanistan vote.
2. Muscle.
