Tuesday’s Top

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1. Salary negotiations and pay transparency. Editor Lindy Kyzer explains, “Money is often left at the negotiating table, and if pay disparity begins to be a problem, and is built around gender or racial lines, you have a problem. Be aware of the formulas used to negotiate pay and how they factor in experience and geography. Make those factors clear in the hiring process. The more your potential hires are educated about what goes into pay, the less chance they have to claim they were unable to ask the right questions—bring up pay early and make it clear it’s a critical part of the conversation.”

2. Networking tips for the socially challenged. Also from Editor Lindy Kyzer, “The idea that personality plays a role in the hiring process irks you, but it shouldn’t. Just because you’re not a social butterfly doesn’t mean you can’t put networking to your advantage. Yes, socially awkward job seeker, networking is for you, too. Here are three tips to make the most of it. . . .”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1. ISIS’ unimpeded march forward. Reuters’ Daren Butler and Oliver Holmes report from Mursitpinar, Turkey, “Islamic State fighters advanced into the south west of the Syrian Kurdish town of Kobani overnight . . . . taking several buildings to gain attacking positions from two sides of the city. The prospect that the town on the Turkish border could fall to militants who have besieged it for three weeks has increased pressure on Turkey, with the strongest army in the region, to join an international coalition to fight against Islamic State.” See also, “Airstrikes hit jihadists near embattled Syria town” and “US strategy lies in ruins.”

2. Afghanistan drags on. DefenseOne.Com contributor Stephanie Gaskell reports, “The United States has been fighting in Afghanistan longer than the Soviets did after they invaded in 1979. That war lasted a decade before the Soviet Union was defeated, leading to the civil war that brought about the rise of the Taliban. And while the Obama administration may designate the end of 2014 as the end of the war in Afghanistan, it’s somewhat arbitrary, since the U.S. mission will likely continue to 2017, at the least. With the lessons of the end of the Iraq war being played out in the Middle East, the next president may decide that the U.S. military mission should continue—or even expand—to prevent Afghanistan’s security from falling in the same was as it has in Iraq.”

3. Seabees taking on Ebola. SunHerald.Com’s Patrick Ochs reports, “The Seabees were dispatched from Djibouti aboard an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III on Sept. 23 for Monrovia, Liberia, and will assist in a number of projects, including site preparation and assembly of a 25-bed tent hospital that will be used to treat health care workers. Chuck Prichard, spokesman for the U.S. Africa Command, said Monday morning the risk of U.S. service members contracting Ebola is relatively low because they’re not expected to provide direct patient care.” See also, “Nurse in Spain gets Ebola.”

4. VA finally fires four. AP’s Matthew Daly reports, “The Veterans Affairs Department said it is firing four senior executives as officials move to crack down on wrongdoing following a nationwide scandal over long wait times for veterans seeking medical care, and falsified records covering up the delays. The dismissals are the first since Congress passed a law this summer making it easier for veterans who experience delays to get care outside VA’s nationwide network of hospitals and clinics.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1. Raytheon teams with Lockheed on Javelins. MilitaryAerospace.Com Editor John Keller reports, “Missile experts at Lockheed Martin Corp. and Raytheon Co., are building 534 Javelin Block 1 anti-armor missiles for infantry warfighters under terms of an $84.3 million contract announced last week. . . . Javelin, made by Raytheon Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp., is an infantry fire-and-forget missile with lock-on before launch and automatic self-guidance designed to destroy main battle tanks, armored personnel carriers, and other armored combat vehicles. The missile also is effective against buildings and enemy helicopters.”

2. Top contracts for 2015. FederalTimes.Com’s Aaron Boyd reports, “Civilian agencies are preparing to compete a slate of multibillion-dollar IT contracts in 2015 that will more than double the combined value of large civilian contracts that were on tap for competition a year ago. Market research firm Deltek released a rundown of the largest 20 contracts expected to go out to bidders over the next year, worth an estimated combined total of $206 billion. The combined value of those contracts is up $45 billion from Deltek’s top 20 list for fiscal 2014, which totaled about $161 billion. For the first time since Deltek began compiling the top 20, the mix of defense and civilian contracts on list is almost even.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1. Blade tech—to repair or replace, that’s the question. AviationWeek.Com’s Thierry Dubois explains, “Repairing what is arguably the most complex single part of an engine calls for staying on top of technology in your workshop. Engine manufacturers and MRO specialists thus keep investing in new techniques to restore high-pressure turbine (HPT) blades to working order. These moving parts can be barely 3 in. long on a CFM56, but the business case for repairing versus replacing is very strong.”

2. On the rise—the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency. NextGov.Com’s Jack Moore reports, “As far as intelligence agencies go, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency has remained relatively low profile—attracting neither the intrigue of, say, the CIA nor the umbrage directed toward the National Security Agency. But even as other realms of spycraft have been battered by revelations over intrusive government surveillance, the role of geospatial intelligence — interactive mapping and satellite imagery—appears poised for primetime.”

3. Building cybercommands worldwide. FierceGovernmentIT.Com’s Molly Bernhart Walker reports, “The Defense Department is working with foreign militaries on cyber ‘capacity building’ by helping them stand up offensive and defensive capabilities in the cyber domain . . . . DoD has gladly taken on the task of encouraging the responsible use of cyber capabilities. Conversations about balancing civil liberties and executive oversight of a cybercommand allow DoD to share lessons learned and best practices . . . . 60 countries want to build a cybercommand and the United States is actively consulting with a small group of countries. DoD is helping these ‘closest partners’ with training and doctrine . . . .”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1. Biden Blunders: “As Biden seeks to fashion himself as a credible alternative to Hillary Rodham Clinton in the 2016 presidential race, his latest missteps have rekindled lingering questions about his ability to serve as commander in chief. After all, voters who affectionately overlook a bit of misplaced candor may be less thrilled by the prospect of a president who has trouble differentiating between what he says in public and in private. . . . Former aides who have prepped Biden say they repeated predetermined talking points to him over and over before sensitive meetings and high-profile speeches. The vast majority of the time he hits the script perfectly, the aides said. But sometimes their pleas not to freelance were met with a roll of the eyes by Biden . . . .”

2. Absence makes the heart grow fonder: “President Obama, the central figure of the 2014 midterms, is nowhere to be seen in competitive Senate battlegrounds, and that’s just the way Democrats want it. For years, Democrats grumbled that Obama wasn’t actively involved in the contests that would determine control of Congress, selectively deciding when to help liberal candidates hoping to bask in his star power. Now, as Republicans turn the November elections into a referendum on the president’s policies, Democrats are saying ‘thanks but no thanks’ to an assist from Obama. The White House has received the message.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1. “U.S. strategy against Islamic State is too much air, not enough boots.” Los Angeles Times contributors Frederick W. Kagan and Kimberly Kagan argue, “We tried ignoring the region and counting on the Iraqis and the Syrians to sort things out for themselves. We tried brokering political settlements. We tried targeted strikes to degrade and disrupt terrorist organizations around the world. And now we’ve tried an extremely limited bombing effort for more than 50 days during which the situation has gotten worse. It’s time to try something else.”

2. “Whatever help the West offers to fight Islamic State, it should have conditions.” Reuters contributor Hugo Dixon argues, “[M]ake the West’s help conditional on local powers taking the main responsibility for dealing with the Islamic State threat. That doesn’t just mean fighting the jihadists. It means also not fighting each other. If the United States, Britain, France and others start throwing their weight around, the risk is that regional players will be under less pressure themselves to make difficult compromises.”

3. “Don’t Forget Booster In Designing Hypersonic Weapons.” AviationWeek.Com contributor Graham Warwick explains, “That Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Raytheon have been picked for the Tactical Boost Glide and Hypersonic Air-Breathing Weapon Concept programs shows a focus on developing practical weapons, not experimental testbeds. But the break-up of the successful X-51 team is a worrying development. The X-51 proved both booster and vehicle must work to achieve success. This is not the time to reinvent both.”

THE FUNNIES

1. Virus you hate to love.

2. New memorial.

3. Secret siesta.

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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.