Monday Mourning

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1. Money matters. Editor Lindy Kyzer reports, “Cleared professionals are expecting their employers to ‘show them the money’ this year, according to a recent survey of cleared professionals. And many are setting their sights higher than the standard three percent pay raise. . . . It’s yet another sign of upward movement in the defense and government contracting industry. After years of sequestration, shrinking budgets and employee furloughs, the future looks brighter.”

2. Spy stories: inventors and engineers. Contributor Charles Simmins reports, “Women have not just served in the field, however. They have made important contributions as inventors and engineers. . . . Genevieve Feinstein was a brilliant mathematician and code breaker. She was responsible for the work that lead to the construction of the ‘Purple’ code deciphering machine that allowed the Allies to read Japanese diplomatic messages.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1. Afghan summit. Defense Media Activity’s Cheryl Pellerin reports, “President Barack Obama, Defense Secretary Ash Carter and other U.S. leaders will discuss a range of issues this upcoming week with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani . . . . Among the discussion topics for Ghani and Afghan Chief Executive Dr. Abdullah Abdullah will be flexibility on troop drawdown in Afghanistan, concerns about the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant gaining a foothold there, and working toward stability in the region.” See also, “President Ghani meeting high ranking US officials today.”

2. Iranian dominance. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “Director of the CIA John Brennan said Sunday that Qassem Suleimani, the commander of Iran’s elite Quds Force, has been ‘very aggressive and active’ in advising Shia militias against Islamic State. The active role Suleimani has assumed in directing Iraqi forces against the Islamic State is complicating the U.S. mission against terrorism and contributing to destabilization in Iraq, he said.”

3. Yemen’s descent. The Long War Journal’s Bill Roggio reports, “The US government has withdrawn its military and remaining diplomatic personnel from Yemen as the security situation has spiraled out of control over the past week. Among the forces pulled from Yemen were more than 100 military advisors who were training Yemeni counterterrorism personnel to battle al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. The withdrawal of US forces from Yemen takes place just six months after President Barack Obama described the US strategy of partnering with local Yemeni forces as ‘one that we have successfully pursued … for years.’”

4. The Kurd question. AP’s Ryan Lucas reports, “For four months, Syrian Kurdish fighters battled the Islamic State group in the rubble-strewn streets of Kobani as U.S. aircraft pounded the extremists from the skies, a joint effort that ultimately expelled the militants from the town and marked their bloodiest defeat in Syria since the air campaign began in September. . . . And yet, two months later, Syria’s Kurds remain largely on the outside looking in on the U.S.-led coalition’s campaign against the Islamic State group.” See also, “ISIS retreats near Mosul, regrouping in Hawija for expected assault.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1. Army buys $15 million in Excalibur. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Artillery munitions experts at the Raytheon Co. Missile Systems segment in Tucson, Ariz., will build 209 M982 Excalibur satellite-guided heavy artillery shells for the U.S. Army under terms of a $14.8 million contract modification . . . . The Excalibur artillery shell first was fielded in Iraq in 2007 for urban or complex-terrain engagements in which collateral damage must be kept to a minimum.”

2. Deciding what to buy. DoD Buzz’s Brendan McGarry reports, “The U.S. Army’s top officer said service chiefs rather than civilians should play a bigger role in deciding what kinds of weapons the military buys. Army Chief of Staff Raymond Odierno this week called on lawmakers to consider the move while debating ways to reform the Defense Department’s acquisition process. ‘There’s a message that gets sent throughout the acquisition force that they don’t work for the uniformed military, they work for the civilians,’ he said on Wednesday during a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee. ‘That’s a dangerous message because I think our experience in support of the process is very important.’”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1. Better quantum crypto. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “Researchers have developed a way to transfer 2.05 bits per photon by using ‘twisted light.’ This remarkable achievement is possible because the researchers used the orbital angular momentum of the photons to encode information, rather than the more commonly used polarization of light. The new approach doubles the 1 bit per photon that is possible with current systems that rely on light polarization and could help increase the efficiency of quantum cryptography systems.”

2. A sea of mines. Breaking Defense’s Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. reports, “After decades of neglect, the Navy has started taking sea mines seriously. . . . China boasts at least five times as many mines as Iran and considers them a crucial component of what it calls ‘counter-intervention.’ In other words, mines, missiles, and submarines will work together to hold US ships at bay until China can reunify Taiwan by force – the contingency that still drives much Chinese planning – or perhaps grab disputed islets from the Philippines and Japan.”

3. IT spending landscapes. Federal Times’ Aaron Boyd reports, “Civilian agency spending on IT is expected to rise by 10 percent before the end of fiscal year 2015, with an increase of $4.5 billion over original budget projections, according to a new report from IDC Government Insights. IDC analysts put the new 2015 IT spend at $48.1 billion, set to increase by 1.9 percent to $49 billion under the president’s proposed 2016 budget.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1. Cruz control. “Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Tex., on Monday is expected to announce he’s running for president. However well he ends up doing in the Republican primaries, one thing is for sure — the development is terrible news for Sen. Rand Paul’s presidential ambitions. Whatever small chance Paul had in the 2016 presidential race was premised on his ability to reach beyond the core supporters of his father’s, by articulating a message that appealed to a broader coalition of Republicans. The biggest opportunity Paul had for growth was with Tea Party voters who would be drawn to his limited government message. The biggest obstacle he had was foreign policy views that are also out of step with many of those voters.”

2. Globe wants Warren. “The politically influential Boston Globe, dismissing Democrats running against Hillary Clinton as inadequate, and the former first lady as too cautious and tied to big business, on Sunday called for Sen. Elizabeth Warren to either get in the race or recruit a top-tier challenger. . . . Warren has a wealth of support in the progressive-liberal corner and groups like MoveOn.org are working in New Hampshire and elsewhere to build a Warren wave.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1. “Remodeling the Muslim response to terror attacks.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “Tunisia’s reaction – an affirmation of the civic bonds that unite, not divide – stands out in the Arab world. For now, it also serves as a model. If other countries follow, it might even be bigger news than a terrorist attack.”

2. “An investor’s view of why Putin’s days may be numbered.” Reuters contributor argues, “It’s hard to escape the awkward detail that many of the countries with the highest death tolls are those where the U.S. has made the strongest effort to shape events. But we have to find a way of turning it around, somehow. And we’ve come a long way, after all. We don’t want to go back to battering each other to death with rocks.”

THE FUNNIES

1. Forlorn.

2. Optical delusions.

3. Grim fairy tale.

Related News

Ed Ledford enjoys the most challenging, complex, and high stakes communications requirements. His portfolio includes everything from policy and strategy to poetry. A native of Asheville, N.C., and retired Army Aviator, Ed’s currently writing speeches in D.C. and working other writing projects from his office in Rockville, MD. He loves baseball and enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring anything. Follow Ed on Twitter @ECLedford.