FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Jobs for cleared engineers: Philadelphia freedom! Contributor Jillian Hamilton reports, “For those of you wondering where in the world King of Prussia is located, it is not close to Pittsburgh; however, Philadelphia is your next door neighbor. King of Prussia may seem like an unlikely place to look for a cleared position, but with great companies like Lockheed Martin in the area, there are actually hundreds of openings for cleared professionals. Here are my top four reasons to consider relocating to King of Prussia, Pa. . . .”
2. Clearances and double secret probation. Contributor William Loveridge explains, “Although being on probation is not per se a bar to a security clearance, extensive reviews of cases processed through the Defense Office of Hearings and Appeals (DOHA) which involve individuals who are on probation at the time of the decision of the Administrative Judge (AJ) reveal that such cases rarely end in favorable determinations. . . . In general, the DOHA AJs are reluctant to grant or continue clearance eligibility to an individual until a criminal court judge has found the person trustworthy or rehabilitated enough to terminate probation.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Drones to go to allies. Defense News’ Paul McLeary reports, “The US State Department announced Tuesday new rules for how and when it may sell armed drones to its allies. The move comes at a time when the Obama administration is placing a high priority on training and equipping its allies—in particular its NATO partners—to assume more of a role in regional stability, humanitarian and counterterrorism operations. The full scope of the changes to US policy remain somewhat murky, since the full results of an internal review remain classified.”
2. Egypt’s two fronts against ISIS. Christian Science Monitor’s Louisa Loveluck reports, “Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s government is positioning itself as a key member in the anti-Islamic State coalition, and the popular strongman appears to have domestic backing to take things up a notch. Yet at the same time the government is signaling that its abilities are limited, and is asking Western powers for support. Mr. Sisi is already fighting Islamist-inspired militants at home, including an Islamic State (IS) affiliate in the eastern Sinai Peninsula. Now, with its first confirmed airstrike against IS forces in Libya, Egypt is engaging on its western flank.” See also, “In fight against Islamic State, Iraqi sectarianism is rising.”
3. Fighting on in Debaltseve, Ukraine. Reuters’ Pavel Polityuk reports from Kiev, “Some Ukrainian forces began to pull out of a town under siege by Russian-backed separatists on Wednesday as renewed fighting threatened to wreck an international deal aimed at ending the conflict. Rebel forces, who the pro-Western government in Kiev say are supported and armed by Moscow, fought their way into the eastern Ukrainian town of Debaltseve on Tuesday, ignoring a ceasefire which came into effect on Sunday.” See also, “Rebels continue their onslaught on Debaltseve” and “Putin tells Kiev to let troops surrender as Ukraine ceasefire unravels.”
4. Ash Carter’s three commitments. Defense Media Activity’s Cheryl Pellerin reports, “Many tough missions lie ahead, the vice president said, from fighting against the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant, strengthening NATO, and rebalancing to the Asia-Pacific region, to maintaining the nation’s technological edge and continuous efforts to make the most out of every dollar invested in defense. . . . the defense secretary characterized the defense of the nation as ‘the highest calling,’ and he made three commitments to the men and women of the Defense Department, to the president and vice president, and to his fellow citizens.”
5. Af-Pak’s new alliance. Khaama Press reports, “General Raheel Sahrif, Army Chief of Pakistan has said that the enemies of Afghanistan are the enemies of Pakistan. He has made this comment with Afghan authorities during a one-day visit to Kabul for improving security and intelligence cooperation between the two neighboring countries. . . . General Raheel Sharif’s visit to Kabul is taking place after a recent visit of General John Francis Campbell, commander of the NATO-Resolute Support Mission and United States forces in Afghanistan, to Pakistan.” See also, “Taliban suicide assault team kills 20 Afghan policemen.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Pratt & Whitney engine work under the microscope. Bloomberg Business’s Anthony Capaccio reports, “The Pentagon inspector general has subpoenaed United Technologies Corp.’s Pratt & Whitney engine unit, saying the company has repeatedly refused to document more than $1.54 billion in maintenance work on C-17 aircraft engines, according to an unreleased audit. . . . The audit, which found the Air Force ‘is at high risk of paying too much’ for the engine work, is the fourth report by the inspector general’s office since 2010 to raise questions about reasonable pricing, a lack of cooperation or whether prime contractors adequately review subcontractor bids.”
2. Electronics industry looking up. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “No one is talking much about sequestration these days, although spending caps still could come into play later if Congress doesn’t do something about them . . . . As for now, those involved in the defense electronics industry are seeing a clear path forward and are ready to start spending money. Over the past couple of years few, if any, could predict how defense markets would go, and people were keeping their powder dry by sitting on their money. Now, at long last, they seem to be ready to do business again . . . .”
3. New ways to buy a cloud. Nextgov’s Mohana Ravindranath reports, “The General Services Administration is examining new ways for agencies to buy cloud computing services. In a request for information issued last week, GSA asked for information from agencies as well as from technology contractors about new business models for cloud services, other than traditional methods such as blanket purchase agreements for repetitive orders of infrastructure-as-a-service and email-as-a-service. Responses are due by March 13.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. The Equation Group. Nextgov contributor Aliya Sternstein reports, “The exposure of an all-star hacker group thought to be affiliated with the National Security Agency is both a feather in the spy agency’s cap and a setback for intelligence-gathering on Islamic extremists . . . . Code developed by the possibly-20-year-old group can reprogram popular hard drives in a way that is virtually impossible for almost any person or machine to see. . . . The Equation group has breached perhaps tens of thousands of individuals in sectors spanning government, telecommunications, energy, encryption and academia, just to name a few . . . .”
2. Mapping the Dark Web. Federal Times’ Aaron Boyd reports, “As criminal activity proliferates across the unseen recesses of the Internet, the criminal landscape is becoming more fragmented and difficult to pin down, according to a new paper from the Global Commission on Internet Governance released this weekend. ‘The Impact of the Dark Web on Internet Governance and Cyber Security,’ written by former Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff and Synergia Foundation President Tobby Simon, analyzes the unknown areas of the deep and dark web—areas that are not available through search engines or the usual means of accessing sites online.” Read Chertoff & Simon’s paper.
3. Nabbed: FBI’s Cyber Criminal Most Wanted. RT reports, “Two individuals named on the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s most-wanted list of suspected cyber criminals have been captured by authorities in their native Pakistan . . . . Farhan Arshad and Noor Aziz Uddin were both apprehended in Karachi during a pre-dawn raid on Saturday . . . . Authorities in the United States say that Arshad and Uddin were involved in an international crime ring that scammed telecommunication companies out of an estimated $50 million between 2008 and 2012.” See also, “Russian accused in giant cyber heist pleads not guilty in U.S.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Won’t back down: “Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a visiting House member on Tuesday that he isn’t backing down on his plans to speak to a joint meeting of Congress on March 3. Netanyahu has been under pressure in both Israel and the United States to cancel the planned speech about Iran. Many Democrats, including Vice President Joe Biden, plan to boycott the speech, and President Obama has refused to meet with him while he is in Washington. ‘The speech in Washington should be bipartisan. The bombs are not going to distinguish between Democrats and Republicans if we get to that point,’ Netanyahu told Rep. Robert Pittenger, R-N.C., during a meeting in Jerusalem.”
2. Bay of Pigs 2015: “House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi traveled with a congressional congregation to Cuba on Tuesday. The trip is the first official House delegation to travel to the island nation since President Barack Obama announced late last year an easing of trade restrictions with the Castro regime. ‘This delegation travels to Cuba in friendship and to build upon the announcement of U.S. normalization of relations and other initiatives announced by President Obama,’ Pelosi (D-Calif.) said. ‘This delegation will work to advance the U.S.-Cuba relationship and build on the work done by many in the Congress over the years, especially with respect to agriculture and trade.’”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “No Peace for Ukraine Without U.S.” The Moscow Times contributor Georgy Bovt argues, “. . . the less the United States is constructively involved and committed to the process of reaching a settlement, the less likely it is that a lasting peace will emerge, that the points of the Minsk agreement will get implemented and that Kiev will fulfill its obligations.”
2. “A beaming White House summit on ‘extremism.’” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “The roots of terrorist acts, even those committed by those from faiths other than Islam, have long been difficult to pin down. Rather than give them substance, the better course remains in shining light on their darkness. If there is a struggle, it may be in choosing the best light. But there is no debate about the darkness.”
3. “Why Size Doesn’t Matter When Judging the Intelligence Community.” Defense One contributor and former CIA analyst Aki Peritz argues, “Members of Congress, as the people’s representatives and keepers of the purse, must aggressively fulfill its oversight role and make sure the IC’s core abilities are protected while cutting the fat.”
THE FUNNIES
2. Office work.
3. Suicide Budgeter.
