Tuesday’s Top Ten

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1.  Be smart—position designations. Contributor Marko Hakamaa advises, “When applying for a position, ensure you know what the position designation of the position is so that you know what type of investigation will be required. And remember, security professionals dislike the overuse or inappropriate use of the word clearance, so make sure you use the correct ‘lingo’ when asking questions or seeking advice.”

2.  Talent acquisition. Editor Lindy Kyzer explains, “While agencies differ in both their missions and acquisition strategies, the one thing they all agree on is the importance of great employees. Today’s IT solution will be in tomorrow’s recycle bin, but a quality hire has a lasting effect on an agency’s ability to perform. One good hire improves a team, an empty desk can make the whole team resent the mission, and the extra workload.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1.  The depths of courage. Washington Post’s Dan Lamothe reports, “When Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Ryan Harris and Petty Officer 1st Class James Reyher descended to the murky depths of a pond at Aberdeen Proving Ground, Md., last year, virtually everything went wrong. Their equipment didn’t work right, the communication with sailors on the surface wasn’t clear, and debris trapped Reyher some 150 feet underwater in scuba gear. But there’s more to the story. . . .”

2.  Army’s major layoff. GovExec.Com’s Eric Katz reports, “The Army will lay off about 500 majors as part of its ongoing downsizing effort, the service has announced. The military branch used involuntary separation boards to determine to determine where the number of soldiers exceeded future force requirements. The Army announced earlier this year it planned to select from a pool of 19,000 captains and majors to reduce the size of its force in the post-war era. The service laid off 1,100 captains earlier this summer.”

3.  Veterans after Senate seats. DefenseOne.Com contributor Zach Cohen reports, “If Republicans take the Senate in November, it could be thanks to two candidates who could form their own first-of-its-kind caucus: combat veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan elected to the Senate. Rep. Tom Cotton, the Republican Senate candidate in Arkansas, completed tours in Iraq and Afghanistan as an infantry officer. Joni Ernst, a Republican state senator from Iowa, would also be the first female combat veteran in the Senate if she wins in November. Both are locked in tough races for Democratic-held seats this fall that are critical to GOP hopes.”

4.  Russian war games. Christian Science Monitor correspondent Fred Weir reports from Moscow, “Russia’s military has launched a week of war games near Ukraine’s border, including almost 100 bombers and strike fighters. Combined with a reported buildup of Russian troops in border regions near the rebel cities of Donetsk and Luhansk, the overwhelming display of Russian military might has revived fears that Moscow may be planning to invade eastern Ukraine. But Russian experts say the exercise is a tactic designed to discombobulate Ukrainian forces in the war of nerves between Moscow and Kiev.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1.  Korean competition for Sikorsky, Airbus, Bell. AviationWeek.Com’s Andrew Baird reports, “[Korea’s] defense and industry ministries have chosen Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI), already the country’s most technically advanced rotorcraft maker, as the preferred bidder for a utility helicopter program that may carry the country into the mainstream global market. . . . A South Korean military requirement for 200 or more helicopters is underpinning the program, whose importance to South Korean industry is little noticed.”

2.  Defueling the George Washington. DoDBuzz.Com’s Brendan McGarry reports, “The U.S. Navy late last week awarded a contract to begin planning to defuel a nuclear-powered aircraft carrier that may be targeted for decommissioning due to budget cuts. The service’s Sea Systems Command on Friday issued a $50 million contract to Newport News, Virginia-based Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc. in preparation of defueling the USS George Washington (CVN-73), a Nimitz-class carrier commissioned in 1992 . . . . Navy officials have said they’re waiting to see if Congress votes to undo the spending reductions in 2016 before deciding to decommission the vessel. If sequestration continues, they’d be forced to retire the ship . . . .”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1.  Cybersecurity research grants. FierceGovernmentIT.Com’s Dibya Sakar reports, “The National Science Foundation recently announced funding for two teams of university researchers who will work on new approaches to enhance cybersecurity for information systems as well as provide education and training around the issue. . . . Its so-called Frontier awards support large, multi-institution cybersecurity science and engineering projects with broad economic and scientific implications. The Frontier awards are part of an even larger, more diverse $74.5 million portfolio of 225-plus new projects across 39 states . . . . These projects are aimed at improving cybersecurity education and training, converting research into practice and establishing the science of security.”

2.  Jet hacking. Reuters’ Jim Finkle reports, “Cyber security researcher Ruben Santamarta says he has figured out how to hack the satellite communications equipment on passenger jets through their WiFi and inflight entertainment systems – a claim that, if confirmed, could prompt a review of aircraft security. . . . In theory, a hacker could use a plane’s onboard WiFi signal or inflight entertainment system to hack into its avionics equipment, potentially disrupting or modifying satellite communications, which could interfere with the aircraft’s navigation and safety systems . . . .”

3.  Spying on speech. VentureBeat.Com’s Gregory Ferenstein reports, “MIT researchers have partially reconstructed speech by observing video of a vibrating bag of potato chips. Yes, you read that right: they have discovered how to spy on conversations based on the video recording of objects in the same room.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1.  Mid-terms: “There can be no doubt. This fall’s midterm election campaigns will be extremely rough, undermining the possibility for compromise and comity during the final two years of the Obama presidency. The signals are very clear. Negativity is on the rise, and it’s likely to poison the well for the future in Washington. Conservatives blast President Barack Obama for abusing his authority at home and making a mess of things abroad. This week, majority Republicans in the House proceeded with plans to sue him because they say he is going too far with unilateral actions that bypass Congress on a variety of issues, ranging from health care and immigration to energy, education and foreign policy. On the other side, Democrats and the president condemn and mock the GOP for inflexibility and implacable opposition to Obama’s ideas, hurting the country. And they are raising the prospect that what the GOP really wants is to impeach Obama, throwing the nation into a constitutional crisis.”

2.  Vay-Kay: “Hillary Clinton is heading to the Hamptons this month, while Marco Rubio already kicked back by a North Carolina lake. Lindsey Graham is sneaking in some golf — and Mark Warner won’t tell the press where he’s going. It’s vacation season, and for many politicians, both on and off the ballot this year, that means careful calculations about whether to take time off, how much time to take and where to go. After all, one awkward photo can be used as campaign fodder against them. For those pols hoping to take a breather this summer, here’s how to do it without getting into trouble . . . .”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1.  “Gaza war may just be a taste of what’s to come.” Reuters’ John Lloyd argues, “Israel’s collective mindset doesn’t make for competitive television. It is conditioned by fear that the surrounding world is more and more unpredictable and thus more dangerous; that Iran, which had gone cool on Hamas over the past three years, is now calling on all Muslims to help destroy Israel, and that, as ever, its enemies can lose and lose again — and it can lose but once.”

2.  “Forcing the CIA to admit some ugly truths.” Reuters’ David Wise argues, “When the sanitized summary of the Senate Intelligence Committee is made public, it will likely be attacked by those who feel any torture or ‘enhanced interrogation’ is justified against those responsible for the Sept. 11 attacks. Tenet and other high former officials of the CIA are apparently unwilling to concede that sometimes in an effort to protect the country, an intelligence agency can go too far—that it may, in the process, violate the law, the Constitution and human decency.”

THE FUNNIES

1.  Last words.

2.  Please, no.

3.  Cease fires.

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Ed Ledford enjoys the most challenging, complex, and high stakes communications requirements. His portfolio includes everything from policy and strategy to poetry. A native of Asheville, N.C., and retired Army Aviator, Ed’s currently writing speeches in D.C. and working other writing projects from his office in Rockville, MD. He loves baseball and enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring anything. Follow Ed on Twitter @ECLedford.