FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Omaha: go Mid-West, young man. Editor Lindy Kyzer reports, “The Washington, D.C. metro remains a great location for cleared professionals. . . . But it’s far from the only market out there if you’re a job seeker with a security clearance. Just this week the Omaha World-Herald reported on the addition of up to 150 new jobs by defense contractor S4, most requiring a security clearance and offering an ideal fit for veterans, particularly those experienced with StratCom operations.”
2. Who’s hiring? Also from Lindy Kyzer, “If you’re a defense industry job seeker, one of the most important questions to answer is, ‘who’s hiring?’ Another critical question—which companies are hot right now, with newly awarded defense contracts and opportunities likely to become available? A great place to start is always Cleared Network company profiles—they don’t just let you know more about a company, they let you see their current job openings, benefits and more.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. More AQ violence in Yemen. Reuters’ Mohammed Ghobari reports from Sanaa, “A car bomb exploded outside a police college in Yemen’s capital Sanaa on Wednesday, killing about 30 people and wounding more than 50, police sources said, underscoring the country’s deteriorating security and a persistent al Qaeda threat. Sectarian conflict after a 2011 popular uprising that led to a change of government and splits in the army has worsened since September when the Shi’ite Muslim Houthi militia seized Sanaa.” See from AP, “Suicide bomber kills at least 30.”
2. ISIS losing, Iraqi’s say. Aljazeera.Com reports, “Iraqi security forces backed by Shia militias, Kurdish forces and Sunni Muslim tribesmen will drive the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) from all Iraqi lands before the end of 2015, Iraqi security officials and analysts say. . . . Iraqi security officials and analysts said the local and regional circumstances of the battle between Iraqi troops and ISIL fighters have changed in favour of Iraqi troops since June. Among the key players battling ISIL are Iran, the US-led international military coalition, anti-ISIL tribesmen and a regional intelligence coalition.” From DefenseNews.Com, see “$300 Million in Donated US Military Equipment Sent to Iraq in 2014,” and Brendan McGarry asks in DoDBuzz.Com, “Will Upgraded Iraqi Abrams Survive Missile Attacks?”
3. USAF’s perfect storm: more missions; fewer pilots. BreakingDefense.Com’s Colin Clark reports, “The Air Force has worried for almost a decade about the strains on its workforce as it fields more and more Predators, because drones need more people to fly them than do manned aircraft. Now, the head of Air Combat Command has told his boss, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh, that he is ‘extremely concerned’ about a ‘perfect storm’ of increased missions and fewer pilots. . . . [T]his is not a new issue for the service. The Government Accountability Office issued a report in April criticizing the Air Force’s management of the drone force, saying that unless the service changed how it manages its drone pilot forces ‘the Air Force risks perpetuating personnel shortages and may need to continue relying on manned-aircraft pilots to fill its personnel requirements.’”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Accelerating acquisition (to the speed of requirement). NationalDefenseMagazine.Org’s Yasmin Tadjdeh reports, “While many experts criticize the length of time traditional Defense Department acquisition programs take from start to finish, SOCOM has gained a reputation for speedy procurement. That continued ability to field equipment in weeks or months instead of years will be critical as U.S. military strategy shifts from Afghanistan and focuses on smaller, global missions led by special operations forces . . . .”
2. Israel in deep with Lockheed Martin. Defense-Aerospace.Com reports, “A new squadron of 19 F-35 jets will be incorporated into the Israeli Air Force beginning in 2019 after the decision to purchase another set of planes was confirmed by the IAF and government officials. These newly engineered fighters are a step up compared to the F-16I, especially with the addition of new state-of-the-art stealth technology and avionics. The Lockheed Martin F-35 is considered one of the most powerful and capable airplanes in production. . . . The first purchase of these aircraft was made in 2010 and the first planes are expected to land in Israel in 2017.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. A world imagined. The Atlantic’s Uri Friedman explains, “Nine months before the September 11 attacks—and just days after the Supreme Court halted the Florida recount, handing the presidency to George W. Bush—U.S. intelligence officials published an 85-page prediction for what the world would look like in 2015. . . . This vision of the fragmented future of power was still blurry; the report, for example, did not mention al-Qaeda or bin Laden. But media coverage of the study at the time nevertheless picked up on the insight.” Read the original report.
2. DARPA’s drone birds. DefenseSystems.Com’s Mark Pomerleau reports, “The agency recently issued a solicitation under its Fast Lightweight Autonomy program, which aims to create small autonomous vehicles that can navigate in tighter spaces such as stair wells or inside buildings to alert humans of unforeseen surprises. DARPA envisions such autonomous aircraft to be capable of flying through doors or windows at speeds of up to 45 miles per hour while resembling the size and maneuverability of small birds or insects to avoid collisions. These smaller devices would greatly assist soldiers in field reconnaissance when larger UAVs might be unavailable or inapplicable.” See related, “Drone revolution draws near, but big obstacles remain.”
3. Convergence—cyber security’s movement in 2015. BreakingDefense.Com’s Michael Warlick reports, “Technology is moving too fast to keep track of everything, but there’s one overarching trend that policymakers must not miss in 2015. Call it ‘convergence.’ Cybersecurity is no longer its own specialized function for tech geeks to take care of off to one side while the rest of the organization gets on with the real mission. To the contrary, cybersecurity is becoming an increasingly central concern for more and more institutions, from Sony Pictures to the US Army, from Marine Corps drone units to Pentagon cloud computing contractors. Integrating the new technology into operations will require new concepts, sustained funding, and open communications between government and industry—none of which is guaranteed in 2015.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Boehner’s back: “Republican leaders on Tuesday infuriated conservatives by meting out punishment to a group of far-right GOP lawmakers who tried to oust House Speaker John Boehner. Hours after 24 Republicans voted against Boehner, GOP leaders removed two members from a key committee. By late Tuesday, Reps. Daniel Webster and Richard Nugent, both of Florida, were stripped from the powerful House Rules Committee, which governs the legislative process, including amendments and changes to bills before they reach the House floor for debate.”
2. McConnell miffed: “It didn’t take long for Mitch McConnell to get a reminder of the Senate’s harsh realities. . . . Democrats objected to McConnell’s move to allow a quick Energy and Natural Resources Committee hearing Wednesday on the Keystone bill before the committee vote Thursday and the full-fledged floor debate starting next week. Republicans had to scrap the hearing . . . . The snafu showcased the 30-year Senate veteran’s stark challenge as he takes the reins of an institution that he arrived at 50 years ago as a college intern: His lofty promises to let the Senate work its will, come to consensus and pass legislation are about to collide with a body known for gridlock.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “If the Internet becomes a public utility, you’ll pay more.” Reuters contributors Grover G. Norquist and Patrick Gleason argue, “After the more than 20 tax increases signed into law during Obama’s six years in office, the last thing American taxpayers need is a gusher of new taxes and fees triggered by bureaucrats in Washington.”
2. “Hard Choice.” Dawn.Com contributor Zahid Hussein argues, “The militants have long since been waging a war against the Pakistani state. But it is only now that the political leadership has finally concluded the nation is in a state of war which completely alters the paradigm—from peacetime to a war environment.” Regarding the new terror courts in Pakistan, Dawn.Com’s Mateen Haider reports, “The Parliament had adopted the 21st Constitutional Amendment Bill and the Pakistan Army amendment Bill 2015 unopposed after 247 Members of National Assembly along with the Senate voted in favour of the laws aimed to set up constitutionally protected military courts to try civilian terror suspects.”
3. “Who is a German?” Aljazeera.Com contributor Jan Douwe Keulen argues, “Some German experts say the debate shows the need for a redefinition of ‘who is a German’ and recognition of Germany as an immigration country. According to a recent study, most Germans see somebody as ‘German’ when he or she speaks German well and has a German passport. Some 38 percent of those polled said that women who wore headscarves could not be German. To define a new concept of ‘Germaness’ and promote a welcoming culture of tolerance and openness will not be an easy task, and should probably not be left to the politicians.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Brylcreem.
2. Back on track.
3. The point.
