FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Recruiting right. Editor Lindy Kyzer explains, “Few things are harder than making a ‘cold call’ introduction. But unless a candidate is a referral, or you meet them at a networking event, your first message is more likely to be chilly and indirect than warm and friendly. That doesn’t have to be the case, however. Here are thoughts on some of the worst ways to make an introduction, along with a few ideas on how to make a better first impression. . . .”
2. Winter reading list. Also from Lindy Kyzer, “Ever wondered what a spy reads? Wonder no more. The CIA is very open about what it considers required reading for the spy-set. It regularly publishes recommended reading lists on its website, with the most recent update including a series of titles related to Edward Snowden and one detailing potential abuses at Guantanamo Bay. The list includes both current titles and a number of very interesting historical books.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Capitol attack foiled early. Reuters’ Julia Edwards reports, “An Ohio man claiming sympathy with Islamic State militants was arrested and charged on Wednesday in connection with a plot to attack the U.S. Capitol with guns and bombs, court documents disclosed. Christopher Cornell, 20, of Cincinnati researched the construction of pipe bombs, purchased a semi-automatic rifle and 600 rounds of ammunition and made plans to travel to Washington to carry out the plot, according to an FBI informant’s legal testimony.” See also from AP, “Ohio man planned to bomb US Capitol.”
2. Homegrown horror. AP’s Ken Dilanian reports, “U.S. and French intelligence officials are leaning toward an assessment that the Paris terror attacks were inspired by al-Qaida but not directly supervised by the group, a view that would put the violence in a category of homegrown incidents that are extremely difficult to detect and thwart. . . . That terror template . . . has evolved in part because of successful surveillance by the National Security Agency, which has been effective in intercepting conversations between terrorists overseas.”
3. Afghanistan’s next war. Khaama Press reports, “Ismail Khan, ex-minister of water and energy and a well-known Jihadi leader has expressed concern over the new insurgent groups coming to Afghanistan. He says in coming two months the security situation of Afghanistan will worsen and a new war will begin. He asked Afghan nation, specially Ex-Mujahideen and local elders to unite against the threats Afghanistan is facing from the insurgents.”
4. Beware the Ides of March—nuclear framework on horizon. AP’s Matthew Lee reports from Geneva, “The United States and Iran are expressing hope that nuclear talks can be accelerated in order to meet a March target for a framework agreement, as the countries’ top diplomats met Wednesday ahead of a resumption of full negotiations. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif met for six hours Wednesday, a day before negotiators from Iran, the five permanent members of the U.N. Security Council and Germany are to resume talks here.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Air Force looks to drop prices and speed acquisition. Defense News’ Aaron Mehta reports, “The US Air Force is launching a wave of new initiatives aimed at bringing down the cost and time associated with acquiring new technologies, service secretary Deborah Lee James announced Wednesday. The initiatives are bundled together under the banner of ‘Bending the Cost Curve,’ a program title that comes with its own logo and the requisite BTCC acronym. The goal is to work more closely with industry in order to find solutions that work for both sides . . . .”
2. $79 million ATACM upgrade. Military Aerospace Editor John Keller reports, “Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., have announced a $78.2 million contract to the Lockheed Martin Missiles & Fire Control segment in Grand Prairie, Texas, to upgrade early model ATACMS missiles to modern front-line versions. Lockheed Martin engineers will convert Army Tactical Missile System (ATACMS) Block 1 tactical missiles to into modern area attack munitions . . . .”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Gutting the Secret Service. Washington Post’s Carol D. Leonnig reports, “The Secret Service is forcing out four of its most senior officials while two others are retiring — the biggest management shake-up at the troubled agency since its director resigned in October after a string of security lapses. The departures will gut much of the Secret Service’s upper management, which has been criticized in recent months by lawmakers and administration officials who say it has fostered a culture of distrust between agency leaders and its rank-and-file and made poor decisions that helped erode the quality of this once elite agency.” Kay Cee Jones offers music to accompany the read.
2. Modular robots—thanks Carnegie Mellon. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “Carnegie Mellon University’s latest robot is called Snake Monster, but with six legs, it looks more like an insect than a snake. It really does not matter, however, what you call it, says its inventor, Howie Choset—the whole point of the project is to make modular robots that can easily be reconfigured to meet a user’s needs. A CMU release quotes Choset, a professor in CMU’s Robotics Institute, to say the walking robot, developed in just six months, is only one example of the robots that eventually can be built using this modular system.”
3. IBM looks to transform VA health care. NextGov’s Frank Konkel reports, “IBM’s Watson will be deployed in one of VA’s Austin, Texas, data centers and will according to various press reports and official statements ‘ingest hundreds of thousands of Veterans Health Administration documents, medical records and research papers.’ On the surface, the goal appears to have Watson serve as an information-gathering tool to help clinicians and physicians gather data in near-real time. Yet, there’s more to the $6.8 million pilot than collecting a bit of data.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Podesta back with Clintons. “Top White House adviser John Podesta will join Hillary Clinton’s not-yet-official presidential campaign when he leaves the White House in February. . . . As President Bill Clinton’s former chief of staff, Podesta was viewed by many as a natural fit for a senior post in Hillary’s expected presidential campaign. . . . ‘If she runs, which I hope she will, I’ll do whatever she asks me to do,’ Podesta said . . . .”
2. Cutting Cruz. “Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), who repeatedly clashed with GOP leaders in the last Congress, has not been asked to return as vice chairman of grassroots outreach for the Senate Republican campaign arm. National Republican Senatorial Committee Chairman Roger Wicker (R-Miss.) said neither Cruz nor Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio), who was the NRSC’s finance vice chairman in the last election cycle, would serve additional stints in the committee’s leadership. . . . And there are several reasons why Senate Republicans might not want Cruz to return to their campaign arm. . . .”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “We Need Another Giant Protest.” New York Times contributor Thomas L. Friedman argues, “[J]ihadist zeal is easy to condemn, but will require multiple revolutions to stem — revolutions that will require a lot of people in the Arab-Muslim world and West to shed their ambivalence and stop playing double games.”
2. “Islamophobia Is Not a Myth.” The Atlantic contributor Conor Friedersdorf argues, “Insofar as mainstream Muslims are instrumental in informing on radicalized co-religionists who turn to violence, efforts to reach out in support of them are investments in counterterrorism in addition to being consistent with basic justice.”
3. “Why Ukraine shouldn’t be offered NATO membership.” Reuters contributor Andrei Tsygankov argues, “Stability hinges on the West agreeing not to pull Ukraine into NATO or the EU. For the time being, it is beneficial to have Russia as a co-provider of Ukraine’s security and development, together with the West.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Paranoia.
3. Bottoms up.
