FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Cleared in Space. Contributor John Holst on reaching for the stars: “It may be time to take a job with an ‘innovation chaser.’ That’s right–try looking for a job with some of the more innovative space companies and get that conference Kool-Aid taste out of your mouth. There are space companies out there working on some really interesting, and in some cases, historic projects. There are growing opportunities and space businesses in the space business.”
2. Supply and Demand in D.C. Contributor Jillian Hamilton on the capital’s cybersecurity shortage: “Much of the federal government’s cybersecurity has been strategically centralized in the D.C. area—most notably with the overhaul of Fort Meade. At $93,028, the average cybersecurity salary pays $15,000 more than an IT salary. A surplus of open positions and a salary that is quasi-sufficient to support the D.C. area cost of living should make D.C. the first place that cybersecurity professionals look to relocate. Unfortunately, it’s not that simple.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Apaches to Egypt. Aljazeera.Com reports, “The US is to deliver 10 Apache attack helicopters to Egypt, relaxing a suspension of aid imposed after the military removed Mohamed Morsi from the presidency last year. News of the decision was conveyed by Chuck Hagel, the US defence secretary, to his Egyptian counterpart Sedki Sobhi on Tuesday. ‘We believe these new helicopters will help the Egyptian government counter extremists who threaten US, Egyptian, and Israeli security,’ Rear Admiral John Kirby, a Pentagon spokesman, said.” See also, Blackhawks to Mexico.
2. Boots to the Baltic. American Forces Press Service’s Claudette Roulo reports, “A company-sized element of the U.S. Army’s 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team—about 150 soldiers—will arrive in Poland [Wednesday] to begin a bilateral infantry exercise with Polish troops . . . . In the coming days, about 450 additional soldiers from the Vicenza, Italy-based 173rd ABCT will arrive for similar exercises in Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia . . . . The exercises are the first in a series of expanded U.S. land force training activities in the Baltic region scheduled to take place this year and possibly into next year . . . .”
3. Stay-behinds in Afghanistan. Khaama.Com reports, “According to reports, Washington is considering to leave less than 5,000 troops in Afghanistan for the training of Afghan security forces beyond 2014. US officials have reportedly resumed talks after the Afghan presidential and provincial council elections which took place earlier this month. . . . a small residual consideration by US is also partly based on Afghanistan’s surprisingly smooth election which has won international praise for its high turnout and the anti-government armed militant groups failed to carry out any high-profile attack. However, the presence of US forces in Afghanistan beyond 2014 will be subject to the signature of bilateral security agreement between Kabul and Washington.” See also, “Discussions Continue on Post-2014 Troop Strength in Afghanistan.”
4. Army officer layoffs—no way. DefenseOne.Com contributor Eric Katz reports, “The Army on Tuesday denied it will have to force anyone out of its service in the coming years, amidst reports it would have to issue reductions in force to thousands of officers. The Associated Press reported on Tuesday the Army will have to force out 3,000 officers to meet personnel goals set by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel in his fiscal 2015 budget proposal. An Army spokesman, however, told Government Executive that the service has some flexibility with the cuts. . . . Hagel’s budget proposal would reduce the size of the Army by 30,000 soldiers by October 2015, bringing it to 490,000 troops. It would cut an additional 40,000 by the end of fiscal 2017.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. $408 million for Counter-IED Training. GovConWire.Com reports, “Four companies will compete for up to $408 million in contracts to support a counter-improvised explosive device program after the General Services Administration handed down a blanket purchase agreement for the work after a competitive bidding process. A-T Solutions, one of the winners of a position on the BPA, announced the contract award and noted the GSA’s Federal Systems Integration and Management Center awarded the BPA against GSA’s federal supply schedules.”
2. F-35 Math: Cost and Sustainment. DefenseNews.Com’s Marcus Weisgerber explains, “Buying in bulk is key to lowering the cost of the F-35 joint strike fighter, the Pentagon’s most expensive weapons program . . . . Cutting 33 planned F-35 purchases over the next four years was a key factor in the $7.4 billion jump in the program’s price tag . . . . The total cost to procure and develop the F-35 is now pegged at $398.6 billion. . . . [Lt. Gen. Christopher Bogdan, the F-35 program manager] has encouraged aircraft-maker Lockheed Martin and engine-maker Pratt & Whitney to make ‘multiple-year buys and long-term arrangements’ with their suppliers. From a company standpoint, that could be seen as a risky move since the Pentagon has not signed a multiyear procurement deal for aircraft.”
3. 2013’s contract spending down-trend. GovExec.Com’s Charles S. Clark reports the numbers: “The sequester, the winding down of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, and overall budget cuts produced an 11 percent decline in federal contract spending in fiscal 2013, according to the third annual Bloomberg federal industry leaders study released on Tuesday. With spending on defense contracts slowing by 15 percent, overall federal contracting fell from $516.3 billion in fiscal 2012 to $462.1 billion in fiscal 2013.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Government leaks—by the numbers. NextGov.Com’s Aliya Sternstein reports, “About 58 percent of cyber incidents reported in the public sector were caused by government employees, according to an annual data breach report compiled by Verizon. The findings—stripped of identifying information—do not mention ex-contractor Edward Snowden’s mammoth leak of national secrets. Even if Snowden’s leaks had been included in the tally of results attributed to insider threats, they wouldn’t have made much of a dent. . . . Most (34 percent) of the insider incidents in the global public sector during the past three years were miscellaneous errors such as emailing documents to the wrong person. Unapproved or malicious use of data by public servants accounted for 24 percent of reported incidents.”
2. Waste not, want not. FederalTimes.Com’s Andy Medici reports, “Agencies would be prohibited from throwing out electronic waste in landfills, according to a proposed rule released by the General Services Administration April 22. Computers, phones and monitors that would be thrown out would instead be sold or offered to other agencies or donated to schools, state and local governments or non-profits, according to GSA. Agencies will also follow environmentally friendly electronic recycling standards and use certified recyclers to dispose of electronic waste.”
3. To Mars, in style. Wired.Com’s Joseph Flaherty reports, “Whether it’s the silver-clad explorers from the Mercury missions, or the Apollo-era adventurers in their gleaming white and gold suits, astronauts have the greatest tailors this side of Starfleet. But even classics need updating. Amy Ross leads NASA’s efforts in advanced pressure garment technology and is spearheading the first total redesign of astronaut outerwear in nearly 30 years.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Cold, dead hands: “A liberal former Supreme Court justice, still outspoken and influential in retirement, is pushing to change the Constitution’s Second Amendment in a way that could lead to massive gun confiscations in states. John Paul Stevens, 94, who retired in 2010, would rewrite the Second Amendment in a way that would allow only state militia members to be armed, a radical change from the current lay of the land spelled out in several high court decisions. In his new book Six Amendments: How and Why We Should Change the Constitution, being played up in the media, Stevens would make clear that only militias, not citizens, have a right to guns.”
2. BFFs—Liz and Hillary: “Democratic Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren praised Hillary Clinton as ‘terrific’ and denied that she had any plans to run for president in an interview aired Monday. . . . ‘I think Hillary Clinton is terrific,’ Warren added, when asked if the former secretary of state would be a good president. And she said Democrats needed to ‘stay focused’ on the issues important to them. Clinton has said that she is considering a run for president but has yet to make a final decision. Polls show her the clear favorite among Democrats. But some political watchers say Warren, a favorite of progressives, could mount a serious challenge if she jumped in the race.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “No drama in Obama’s Ukraine policy.” Reuters contributor Michael O’Hanlon argues, “The fact is, however, we cannot stop Putin. Or, to be more precise, we should not try to stop him physically. Doing so would require military threats or troop deployments to Ukraine. The stakes do not warrant such a step. It is not worth risking World War Three over this.”
2. “Marx’s last stand: Eastern Ukraine.” Aljazeera.Com contributor Vladimir Golstein argues, “Kiev can surely exploit Ukrainian fears against Russia by invoking Holodomor (Stalin-induced starvation of millions of Ukrainians) or Stalinism or even Putinism. It is easy to tempt them with the promises of Western abundance or its advanced political and economic system. But all these historic anxieties and promises hardly dissuaded the fears of working class men and women who inhabit Eastern Ukraine.”
3. “Why Obama must be in Asia.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “Barack Obama’s trip this week fits a pattern of frequent presidential visits going back decades. The reason is not because Asia is big, dynamic, or dangerous. Rather, the United States is the only country—at least for now—able to assist a fractious region in working toward eventual unity around common values.”
THE FUNNIES
2. Penmanship.
