FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. NASA profile. Contributor David Brown reports, “There’s a lot more going on in American space exploration than can be found in Houston and Cape Canaveral. NASA facilities are everywhere. The terrestrial side of NASA is divided into ten field centers (in military parlance: major commands) and operates from over 150 facilities across the country and around the world. If you’re interested in working for the space program—or just want to be closer to space culture—here are a few NASA facilities you might not know about. . . .”
2. Death and taxes. Contributor Sean Bigley advises, “If you’re like many security clearance holders, you may find yourself living and working overseas at some point in your career. And whether you’re attending embassy parties in Europe or getting your hands dirty in the Middle East, filing U.S. income taxes will probably be the furthest thing from your mind. Unfortunately, taxes are a hassle you’ll still need to address if you want to avoid security clearance problems . . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Ramadi falls to ISIS. AP’s Sinan Salaheddin and Ahmed Sami report, “The Islamic State group killed at least 500 people – both civilians and Iraqi soldiers – and forced 8,000 to flee their homes as it captured the city of Ramadi, a provincial official said Monday, while Shiite militias vowed to mount a counter-offensive and reclaim the Anbar provincial capital. The statements followed a shocking defeat as IS seized control of Ramadi on Sunday, sending Iraqi forces fleeing in a major loss despite the support of U.S.-led airstrikes targeting the extremists.” See also, “Shi’ite forces ordered to deploy after fall of Iraqi city.” “US commandos kill senior ISIS commander in Syria,” “US Special Ops Troops Kill ISIS Leader in Syria Raid,” and “Carter: Special Operations Troops Conduct Raid in Syria.”
2. Estonia: NATO-Russia playing with fire. New York Review of Books contributor Ahmed Rashid reports, “On April 7, a war between Russia and NATO forces defending the three Baltic republics was avoided by just twenty feet. . . . a Russian Su-27 fighter jet buzzed a US military plane over the Baltic Sea, only veering off after coming within twenty feet of causing a mid-air collision. Such an event could have prompted retaliation by NATO and possibly given Moscow a pretext for invading Estonia (population 1.2 million), where a few NATO planes are now based.” See also, “NATO says not clear if Russia serious about Ukraine peace deal.”
3. Kerry on North Korea. Reuters’ David Brunnstrom and Ju-Min Park report, “The United States is discussing with China imposing further sanctions against North Korea as the reclusive country is ‘not even close’ to taking steps to rein in its nuclear weapons program, U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry . . . . Speaking in the South Korean capital, Kerry said Washington had offered the North the chance of an improved relationship in return for signs of a genuine willingness to end its nuclear program.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. B-1 radar upgrades. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “The U.S. Air Force fleet of B-1B Lancer long-range jet bombers is on schedule to receive modern active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, based on a new radar design by the Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems segment in Linthicum, Md. Northrop Grumman has introduced its Scalable Agile Beam Radar-Global Strike (SABR-GS) for the B-1B fleet. The SABR-GS B-1 bomber radar is a multi-function AESA radar developed as an affordable, low risk radar retrofit for the B-1B bomber.”
2. Seeking cyber effects. Nextgov’s Aliya Sternstein reports, “The Army is seeking the assistance of cyberattack tool sellers, joining a growing number of Pentagon entities aiming to amass advanced cyber capabilities. . . . The Army’s request for information, which was released Thursday afternoon, expresses interest in ‘existing technical capabilities to deliver cyber effects with robust and mature capabilities’ that can target ‘telecommunications, networking, components, and protocols.’ Defense and intelligence community contractors have until June 15 to submit white papers containing suggestions.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Laser planes. Breaking Defense’s Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. reports, “By 2022, the US Air Force wants to fire a 100-plus-kilowatt laser from an airplane. And not just any airplane, Air Force Research Laboratory officials made clear on Thursday. In stark contrast to the megawatt Airborne Laser cancelled in 2011, which filled a converted 747, the 2022 demonstration will be fired from a fighter. Star Wars fans, calm down . . . .”
2. Airline hacking: FBI’s on it. Wired’s Kim Zetter reports, “A security researcher kicked off a United Airlines flight last month after tweeting about security vulnerabilities in its system had previously taken control of an airplane and caused it to briefly fly sideways, according to an application for a search warrant filed by an FBI agent. Chris Roberts, a security researcher with One World Labs, told the FBI agent during an interview in February that he had hacked the in-flight entertainment system, or IFE, on an airplane and overwrote code on the plane’s Thrust Management Computer while aboard the flight. He was able to issue a climb command and make the plane briefly change course, the document states.”
3. DoD likes Silicon Valley. Homeland Security Newswire reports, “The Pentagon will begin to invest in Silicon Valley tech startups as part of the department’s plan to develop and acquire more advanced cyber solutions to secure the country and military’s digital infrastructure. The investments will be made through In-Q-Tel, a nonprofit strategic investing firm the Central Intelligence Agency launched sixteen years ago.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Intensive care. “A stalemate in the Senate would leave the FBI and National Security Agency (NSA) without powers they have used to track terrorists for years, say supporters of the Patriot Act. Without action by the end of the month, key provisions of the Patriot Act will expire, which Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) argues would put the United States at a pre September 11, 2001-footing. Yet McConnell has no definite path to extend those provisions. He and other hawkish senators are pressing for an extension of the key Patriot Act measures, but they are opposed by other senators, the White House and a majority of House lawmakers in both parties.”
2. Flat-lining. “It turns out that one of the Grand Old Party’s biggest—and least discussed—challenges going into 2016 is lying in plain sight, written right into the party’s own nickname. The Republican Party voter is old—and getting older, and as the adage goes, there are two certainties in life: Death and taxes. Right now, both are enemies of the GOP and they might want to worry more about the former than the latter. . . . The party’s core is dying off by the day.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “NSA must be brought to heel on surveillance.” The Virginian-Pilot Editorial Board argues, “It is long past time for Congress to craft national security policy that respects the nation’s fundamental principles.”
2. “Surveillance diehards in the Senate will do anything to stop NSA reform.” Gulf News contributor Trevor Timm argues, “Letting the Patriot Act expire would be a bipartisan rebuke of the NSA’s powers, it would be a vindication for Edward Snowden’s whistleblowing, but more importantly, it would be a win for the rights of the American people.”
3. “Why humanity may yet reach the stars.” Reuters contributor Alastair Reynolds explains, “My suspicion is that, for one reason or another, we will eventually launch an interstellar expedition. But like Leonardo’s helicopter, it may bear only the slightest resemblance to our present-day imaginings.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Developing taste.
