A long but must-read study of the unraveling of the Central African Republic, Google’s VirusTotal as an inadvertent hacker training ground, and Telepathic technology for the battlefield – all in today’s defense headlines.
FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Cyber crime fighters. Contributor Tranette Ledford reports, “Cyber crime is on the rise, and with it, the demand for cleared cyber crime fighters. The demand for professionals who can assess, detect and stop illegal activity is only increasing. From federal jobs to federal contractors, the field is booming, offers good salaries, and continues to be tailor made for cleared veterans.”
2. DARPA’s Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T). Contributor Marc Selinger reports, “The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is gearing up to develop a host of technologies for the next generation of armored fighting vehicles. The agency recently announced that its new Ground X-Vehicle Technology (GXV-T) program aims to pave the way for vehicles that are faster, lighter, smaller and stealthier than today’s fleet, and agile and smart enough to drive on slopes, dodge enemy weapons, reposition armor and give crews a clear view of the battlefield.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. A study in sectarian violence. Slate.Com contributor James Verini dissects the Central African Republic’s ruin: “Until last year, the Central African Republic had no history of religious conflict. Unlike in nearby Nigeria or Mali, where jihadist insurgencies have brought to a boil already-simmering religious tensions, or in its neighbor Sudan, where Muslims and Christians have long been at odds, Central Africans of different faiths have lived together peaceably for centuries. . . . That dolorous unity finally broke down with the appearance of Séléka, which inflicted more suffering on Central Africans than they were willing to bear. Séléka, which means ‘alliance’ in Sango, was made up of several rebel groups that for years had been making manageable trouble in the north of the country, where Muslims predominate.”
2. Gearing-up for ISIS. DefenseNews.Com’s Jeff Schogol reports, “President Obama has approved sending roughly 350 more US troops to Iraq, the White House announced on Tuesday. The new troops will protect US diplomatic facilities and personnel in Baghdad, allowing some US troops already in Iraq to leave . . . . In addition to the troops on the ground, sailors and Marines aboard the Bataan amphibious ready group are spending an extra three weeks in the 5th Fleet region while President Obama considers how to combat the Islamic State.” See also Aljazeera.Com, “Islamic State ‘beheads second US journalist’,” from Reuters, “UK says not ruling out airstrikes against Islamic State,” and from Christian Science Monitor, “Steven Sotloff beheading creates more troubles for Obama.”
3. Two weeks to Kiev. New York Times’ Andrew Roth reports, “President Vladimir V. Putin of Russia told a European official that he could ‘take Kiev in two weeks’ if he wanted to, adding a new dimension to the tensions building in Ukraine as Russian forces become more involved in the fighting there. As NATO leaders gathered in Wales for a summit meeting, Mr. Putin’s remarks and the increasing presence of Russian military units in Ukraine posed a stark new challenge to the alliance about how to respond to Moscow’s apparent willingness to exert military force to achieve its foreign policy goals.” See also from AP, “Ukraine President says cease-fire deal agreed.”
4. ISIS in Afghanistan. BBC.Com’s World Affairs Editor John Simpson reports, “Fighters from a militant Islamic group in Afghanistan, allied to the Taliban, have told the BBC they are considering joining forces with Islamic State (IS). Their commander also said they would still fight the Afghan government, even after Nato forces left in 2014. Commander Mirwais said that if IS, which he called by its Arabic acronym Daish, proved a true Islamic caliphate, they would link up with it.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Boeing selling $2.5 billion worth to India. GovConWire.Com reports, “India has approved a deal to purchase Boeing-built (NYSE: BA) Chinook and Apache helicopters for approximately $2.5 billion . . . . the purchase is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s plan to bolster the nation’s military posture. The government also agreed on a proposal by the Indian navy to buy 16 multi-role helicopters under a deal in which United Technologies Corp. and European joint venture NHIndustries are bidders . . . . Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel discussed the Chinook and Apache helicopter deals with Indian officials during his tour of the country in August.”
2. Boeing building $250 million worth for Saudi Arabia. DoDBuzz.Com’s Brendan McGarry reports, “The government of Saudi Arabia is moving forward with plans to buy AH-6i helicopter gunships made by Boeing Co. The Chicago-based aerospace company last week received a two-year, $245 million contract from the U.S. Army to buy parts and other so-called long lead items for 24 of the helicopters for the Saudis . . . . The chopper is the export version of the AH-6S that Boeing originally developed for the service’s Armed Aerial Scout program, which was designed to replace the OH-58 Kiowa and canceled last year due to automatic budget cuts known as sequestration. The AH-6S is based in part on the MH-6 Little Bird.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Brain-to-brain comms. DefenseOne.Com contributor Patrick Tucker reports, “Forget battlefield smartphones; the future of soldier-to-soldier communication may be electronic telepathy. A group of researchers in Europe have developed what they are calling the first ‘human brain-to-brain interface,’ allowing people to communicate telepathically through the Internet without a surgical implant, bringing us closer to the day when soldiers behind enemy lines exchange information via sensors reading their thoughts.”
2. Google hones hackers. Wired.Com’s Kim Zetter reports, “It’s long been suspected that hackers and nation-state spies are using Google’s antivirus site to test their tools before unleashing them on victims. Now Brandon Dixon, an independent security researcher, has caught them in the act, tracking several high-profile hacking groups—including, surprisingly, two well-known nation-state teams—as they used VirusTotal to hone their code and develop their tradecraft.”
3. Your iPhone’s Achilles’ Heel. From Andy Greenberg, Wired.Com, “Elcomsoft Phone Password Breaker . . . . is sold by Moscow-based forensics firm Elcomsoft and intended for government agency customers. In combination with iCloud credentials obtained with iBrute, the password-cracking software for iCloud released on Github over the weekend, EPPB lets anyone impersonate a victim’s iPhone and download its full backup rather than the more limited data accessible on iCloud.com. And as of Tuesday, it was still being used . . . .”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Putin peddling: “New York magazine’s Jonathan Chait notes this afternoon that former Sens. Trent Lott (a Mississippi Republican) and John Breaux (a Louisiana Democrat) have teamed up in heartwarming bipartisan fashion to begin lobbying for, ah, let’s see … a Russian bank with close ties to Vladimir Putin that faces potential sanctions because the United States believes Putin is using Russian forces and arms to abet a rebellion in the Ukraine. . . .”
2. Monkey on her back: “It’s still all about Bill Clinton, even as his wife nears the starting gate for the 2016 presidential election. According to the latest Economist/YouGov poll, he is far more popular than Hillary Clinton, who can’t even eek out a higher approval rating than slumping President Obama. Remarkably for someone who just wrapped up a book tour, more have an unfavorable opinion of her than favorable. The poll said that 60 percent of the nation has a favorable opinion of Bill Clinton, while just 33 percent an unfavorable one. And even a third of Republicans have a favorable recollection of the two-term Democrat.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “US strategy vs. Islamic State: Better right than fast.” Reuters contributor Jim Gaines argues, “Secretary Clinton observed that the Obama administration’s foreign policy watchword—‘don’t do stupid stuff’—was ‘not an organizing principle,’ which is true enough. But given past results and present complications of U.S. policy in the Middle East, it is at least the right place to start. If the forthcoming plan of military and diplomatic attack on the Islamic State manages only to avoid the unintended consequences of previous Western interventions in the region, that will be a strategy worth waiting for.”
2. “War by Any Other Name?” USNews.Com contributor James S. Robbins argues, “The White House says the United States is not at war with the terrorists of the Islamic State (also known as ISIS or ISIL). But there is no doubt that the terrorists are at war with us.”
3. “How Airpower Discussions Are Warped.” AviationWeek.Com contributor Bill Sweetman argues, “Whether or not you love the short-takeoff-and-vertical- landing F-35B, there is no doubt about its roots: It’s what happens when a combat aircraft is shoehorned into the doctrine and infrastructure of a surface-warfare force.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Cloudy with a chance of passwords.
3. Ebola.
