FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Defense world. Contributor David Brown explains, “Much of the modern world is defined by military achievements and built by the army or defense industry. The history surrounding us often goes unnoticed, or seems so impossibly large that it is rendered an abstraction. The occasional reflection on these big things is justified—they were once more than illustrations for postcards or fuel for comic books, but rather were essential to the survival of civilizations.”
2. Putin’s hero: Dr. George Koval. Also from David Brown, “When we talk about spies and leakers generally, motivations tend to revolve around money or love—the man who runs up too much gambling debt and needs a way out, or the woman who says too much to the person she brought home from a bar. But there is another, much simpler reason that people violate their security clearance: they really want to. That is to say, they are philosophically disposed toward another power.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Proper artillery: Iraqi Kurds have arrived. Reuters’ Mariam Karouny and Omar Berberoglu report from Turkey, “Iraqi Kurdish fighters have joined the fight against Islamic State militants in Kobani, hoping their support for fellow Kurds backed by U.S.-led air strikes will keep the ultra-hardline group from seizing the Syrian border town. . . . ‘The peshmerga joined the battle late yesterday and it made a big difference with their artillery. It is proper artillery’ . . . .”
2. Canada strikes ISIS in Iraq. Aljazeera.Com reports, “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) has killed at least 200 people from the Albu Nimr tribe, which had taken up arms against the fighters . . . . News of the killings came as Canada conducted air strikes on ISIL positions in Iraq for the first time on Sunday. ‘Today’s strike demonstrates our government’s firm resolve to tackle the threat of terrorism and to stand with our allies against ISIL’s atrocities against innocent women, children and men,’ Canadian Defence Minister Rob Nicholson said in a statement.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. V-22’s in the balance. DefenseNews.Com’s Barbara Opall-Rome reports, “Top military officers here are urging Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon not to back out of a Pentagon package of Bell Boeing V-22 tilt-rotors offered at a cut-rate price and under conditions set to expire Dec. 10. . . . Meticulously crafted over two years with extraordinary support from Hagel and the senior echelon of the US Navy Department, the Pentagon’s official offer was delivered last week to Israel’s defense procurement mission in New York. It allows Israel to receive the planes now in production for the US Marine Corps for expedited delivery by the end of 2016 at a price more than $400 million less than initial estimates. In January, the Pentagon notified Congress of the potential sale, then estimated at $1.3 billion.”
2. Procurement 2015. GovExec.Com’s Dan Warn reports, “Government procurement accounts for $7 trillion in spending, annually. In light of this, it’s no wonder taxpayers are demanding better services and more insight into where all their money is going. But what does this look like, and what can procurement officials do about it? When it comes to spending in 2015, obtaining a consolidated view of spending, gaining visibility into your procurement activities, and streamlining the process to reduce costs and best match your organization’s needs should all be at the top of your priority list.”
3. Congratulations, Chris Hamm. FederalTimes.Com’s Aaron Boyd reports, “Fifteen-year Federal Systems Integration and Management (FEDSIM) veteran Chris Hamm will be taking over as agency director on Nov. 1, heading up the General Services Administration’s lead entity for large-scale IT contracts. Hamm will be taking over for former FEDSIM Director Steve Viar, who stepped down on Friday and was Hamm’s mentor for most of his 15 years in government.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. “Cyber Awakening.” NextGov.Com’s Aliya Sternstein reports, “The Navy is embarking on a year-long effort to protect hardware and software servicewide, as the Internet of Things takes hold of everything from ship speakers to missile launchers. ‘Task Force Cyber Awakening’ will draw from U.S. Cyber Command Commander Adm. Michael Rogers’ reaction strategy to a major Navy computer system hack last year. . . . One item on the docket: Ensuring new apparatus, such as the Navy’s next-generation tactical afloat network, ‘CANES,’ can operate safely with computers still running on outdated Windows XP software.”
2. Space Race 21. AP’s Mae Anderson reports, “The 64-year-old Branson is not the only businessman in the space trade. Historically space and aviation have been a point of fascination by moguls who have made their fortune and want to accomplish something bigger. . . . Today, the concept of space travel has proved an irresistible allure for many entrepreneurs who’ve made it in the tech world, and they have been spurred on by NASA’s increasing reliance on private companies to conduct space missions.”
