FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. For Love of Country. Contributor Dana Rodriguez with the story behind the book: “For Love of Country started as an idea Howard Schultz had after hearing Medal of Honor recipient SGT Leroy Petry talk about his traumatic wounding in Afghanistan. Afterward, Schultz was so overcome by Petry’s humility and integrity, he felt compelled to create a deeper awareness for those who have no direct or indirect contact with anyone who has served. Schultz wanted them to know people in the military community have much to offer.”
2. A degree in Intelligence. Contributor Tranette Ledford explains, “Although the number of participating schools is still relatively small, they are spread geographically across the country. . . . Alabama, California, Florida, Maryland, Mississippi, New Mexico, Nebraska, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia and Washington State. Some states have multiple schools participating.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Asaib Ahl al-Haq’s Qais al-Khazali. Reuters’ Babak Dehghanpisheh reports from Baghdad, “Khazali is the head of a militia called Asaib Ahl al-Haq that is backed by Iran. Thanks to his position he is one of the most feared and respected militia leaders in Iraq, and one of Iran’s most important representatives in the country. His militia is one of three small Iraqi Shi’ite armies, all backed by Iran, which together have become the most powerful military force in Iraq since the collapse of the national army in June.”
2. Kurds cracking ISIS hold on Kobane. Rudaw.Net’s Alexander Whitcomb reports from Erbil, “Joint Syrian and Iraqi Kurdish forces are making steady progress in breaking the Islamic State’s nearly two month long siege of Syrian border town Kobane, according to Peshmerga officers. . . . The [UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights] reported that YPG advanced in several areas, and that Peshmerga forces had assisted them in certain fronts south of the city. It cited sources saying that ISIS was going to launch offensives in Homs and Hama in order to boost the morale of fighters frustrated in Kobane.”
3. Iran: a friend against ISIS. Quartz.Com’s Bobby Ghosh reports, “Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of US president Barack Obama’s latest letter to Ayatollah Ali Khamenei Iran’s Supreme Leader is the suggestion that a nuclear deal between Washington and Tehran could open the way to greater cooperation in the fight against ISIL. . . . Baghdadi’s Sunni-extremist hordes threaten Shia Iran as much as—and possibly more than—they do the US and more generally, the West. Surely the old adage about my-enemy’s-enemy is reason enough to join forces? And if Washington and Tehran don’t share a worldview, that’s not such an insurmountable hurdle: after all, Roosevelt and Churchill were able to work with Stalin to defeat Hitler.”
4. Saving some Warthogs. DefenseNews.Com’s Aaron Mehta reports, “The US Air Force is trying to work out a compromise with Congress to retire a percentage of the A-10 fleet in order to move maintainers to the F-35 joint strike fighter, according to two service officials. The Air Force is in discussion with congressional leaders about the possibility of retiring three active-duty squadrons, or roughly 72 A-10 aircraft. While that is well short of retiring the whole fleet, even this targeted retirement would help with what the service is describing as a major crunch in available maintenance personnel.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Acquisition overhaul. GovExec.Com contributor Katherine McIntire Peters reports, “While the mid-term elections have raised uncertainty about government operations under a Republican-controlled Congress, one area where observers expect to see some action is in an overhaul of the way the Pentagon buys weapons. The current system takes far too long and creates enormous uncertainty for both industry and the military services. Too often, programs cost more and take far longer to develop than planned, and by the time new weapons are actually fielded, the technology is outdated.”
2. BAE Howitzer buy. DoDBuzz.Com’s Matthew Cox reports, “The U.S. Army has awarded a $142 million contract to BAE Systems new M109A7 self-propelled howitzers and M992A3 ammunition carriers. The follow-on contract calls for BAE to build 18 M109A7 howitzers and 18 carrier ammunition, tracked vehicles for the low-rate initial production deal. . . . In total, the Army intends to purchase a total of 66.5 vehicle sets plus spares, kits, and technical documentation. One set includes a M109A7 Paladin Self Propelled Howitzer along with its battlefield companion, the M992A3 Carrier Ammunition, Tracked.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Dolphin drones. Christian Science Monitor’s Noelle Swan reports, “These six-foot-long torpedo shaped drones, which resemble robotic dolphins, use very little energy and can traverse the ocean depths for long periods of time, bobbing to the surface every few hours to ‘call home’ and transmit data to researchers. In recent years, corporations, research institutions, and even the military have used similar underwater drones to explore the ocean.”
2. Drone deluge. AP’s Joan Lowy reports, “The government is getting near-daily reports – and sometimes two or three a day – of drones flying near airplanes and helicopters or close to airports without permission . . . It’s a sharp increase from just two years ago when such reports were still unusual. . . . More than 1 million small drones have been sold worldwide in the past few years . . . It is inevitable that some will misuse them because they don’t understand the safety risks or simply don’t care . . . .”
3. Cyberwarfare terminology: Zero Day. Wired.Com’s Kim Zetter explains, “Zero day actually refers to two things—a zero-day vulnerability or a zero-day exploit. Zero-day vulnerability refers to a security hole in software—such as browser software or operating system software—that is yet unknown to the software maker or to antivirus vendors. . . . Zero-day exploit refers to code that attackers use to take advantage of a zero-day vulnerability. . . . [M]ore zero days are being used and discovered. That’s in part due to the emergence of a large market for buying and selling zero-day vulnerabilities and exploits, driven largely by the demand from government intelligence agencies.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Forty in Five: “There were more than twice as many incidents involving White House complex fence- and barrier-jumping over the last five years than the U.S. Secret Service previously publicly disclosed, although the vast majority of them involved breaches of lower barriers than the main fence. The Secret Service on Friday provided a thorough accounting to Congress about the number of security breaches over the last five years at the White House complex and the circumstances surrounding them. . . [O]n Sept. 11, an individual carrying a stuffed animal jumped over the fence and stated that he wanted to ‘bring awareness to several personal grievances he had with the City of Albany, NY.’”
2. Always with the negative vibes: “Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) wasted little time Tuesday night in blasting President Obama’s climate agreement with China as another costly, unpopular environmental move. ‘Our economy can’t take the president’s ideological war on coal that will increase the squeeze on middle-class families and struggling miners . . . . This unrealistic plan, that the president would dump on his successor, would ensure higher utility rates and far fewer jobs . . . .’ The historic, unexpected deal commits each country to far-reaching goals to cap greenhouse gas emissions believed to cause climate change.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “Improve the VA by Keeping It Simple.” DefenseOne.Com’s Alex Nicholson argues, “Reorganizing, reshaping, and reinventing the VA is no easy task, but the new secretary, Bob McDonald, has committed to pursuing transformation and innovation more aggressively than any of his predecessors. His private sector business background and the overtures he has made to fundamental change during his short tenure thus far are promising signs.”
2. “Americans rally ’round Obama’s war on Islamic State, but not Obama.” Los Angeles Times contributor Doyle McManus argues, “Obama will have to accept the cruel reality of post-Cold War politics: If the war goes badly, his standing will suffer. And even if it goes well, it won’t do him much good.”
3. “Desperate and Dumb.” USNews.Com contributor James S. Robbins argues, “Iran will not compromise its long cherished strategic nuclear goals for momentary assistance against a guerilla band with delusions of grandeur.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Nuke deal.
2. Net neutrality.
3. Both eyes open.
