FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Federal resumes. Editor Lindy Kyzer offers, “If you’re interested in a job working for the federal government, you’ll need to navigate one very particular and time-consuming task – federal resume writing. You may have a perfect one-or-two page resume for career fairs or online profiles, but for your federal resume, you’ll want to consider a few specific tips. . . .”
2. Where in the world can you work for NASA? 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. . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. War in Iraq . AP’s Robert Burns reports, “The Islamic State group’s capture of Ramadi, a key provincial capital in western Iraq, calls into question the Obama administration’s strategy in Iraq. Is there a Plan B? The current U.S. approach is a blend of retraining and rebuilding the Iraqi army, prodding Baghdad to reconcile with the nation’s Sunnis, and bombing Islamic State targets from the air without committing American ground combat troops. But the rout in Ramadi revealed a weak Iraqi army, slow reconciliation and a bombing campaign that, while effective, is not decisive.” See also, “Shi’ite militias could worsen Iraqi sectarian fires,” “Ramadi falls, but one way Islamic State might yet be pushed back,” “Pentagon: Iraqi, Coalition Forces Will Retake Ramadi,” and “‘Strategy to defeat Islamic State is working,’ US Department of Defense claims.”
2. Baghdad: ISIS’ next target. Rudaw reports, “The Islamic State group has released an propaganda tape, purportedly from its leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, in which the self-proclaimed ‘caliph’ of the jihadist group promised that the Shiite-majority cities of Baghdad and Karbala are the group’s next targets. A website affiliated with the jihadists released a video on Tuesday titled ‘Islamic State controls Ramadi’ in which ISIS fighters were shown celebrating the occupation of Ramadi . . . . The video contained of an audio message, allegedly from Baghdadi, who thanked his militias for ‘the Ramadi victory.’ ‘After Ramadi, will come Baghdad and Karbala,’ said the purported Baghdadi who has not been seen in months. It was not immediately possible to verify the voice as Baghdadi’s.”
3. Iran: maritime power projection. Reuters’ Parisa Hafezi reports, “Iran is using its sea power in the Gulf to show it will not be cowed by Washington’s newly assertive Arab allies, prompting critics to accuse Tehran of destabilizing the region. Iranian ships fired shots at a Singapore-flagged tanker which it said damaged an Iranian oil platform, causing the vessel to flee, and seized a container ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the world’s most important oil route, over a debt row. The incidents coincided with a push by Washington to reassure Gulf Arab monarchies that their interests would not be threatened by a nuclear accord that Tehran and world powers are trying to reach by the end of June.”
4. Afghanistan teams with Pakistan. Afghan Zariza reports, “If latest reports are to be believed, the government of Afghanistan has entered into an agreement with Pakistan’s spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI). The main purpose of the agreement, according to sources, is to cooperate and coordinate in the fight against terrorism. . . . It will also allow ISI to train the officials of National Directorate of Security (NDS), the premier security and intelligence agency of Afghanistan. As part of the agreement, ISI and NDS will jointly carry out counter-insurgency operations and interrogate insurgents who are detained in the operations.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. DHS’ bio lab contract awarded. Homeland Security Newswire reports, “DHS Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) yesterday announced the award of a contract for the final phase of construction of the National Bio and Agro-Defense Facility (NBAF) being constructed in Manhattan, Kansas. The $834 million award by S&T’s procurement support partner, the Federal Law Enforcement Training Centers (FLETC), modifies the existing contract for McCarthy Mortensen NBAF Joint Venture, which was selected in 2009.”
2. Defense industry: size matters. Breaking Defense’s Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. reports, “In the race to build the Army’s new Ultra-Light Combat Vehicle, General Dynamics is the biggest competitor now that aerospace giant Lockheed Martin has dropped out altogether. A traditional defense contractor that builds everything from Army tanks to Navy submarines, GD faces outsiders like commercial offroad vehicles maker Polaris and special ops start-up Vyper Adamas, who are proud of their innovation and nimbleness. As the Army seeks a new, nimbler way of doing business, how can the big guys keep up? First of all, by not being so big.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Drone dealings. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker and Marcus Weisgerber report, “Jordan, one of America’s partners in the fight against the Islamic State, is reaching out to China to acquire armed drones — at least according to Rep. Duncan Hunter, R-Calif. . . . Hunter wants the White House to get U.S.-made armed drones to the Jordanians before they can close any deal with China, and he thinks the Pentagon could do that quickly and easily by lending them Air Force drones.”
2. Patriot Act watch. National Journal’s Dustin Volz and Daniel Newhauser report, “Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr is working on a ‘backup’ plan to extend the Patriot Act’s surveillance authorities before they expire at the end of the month, even as House leaders threaten to jam the Senate with their spying-reform bill. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy on Monday pushed the Senate to pass a House bill reauthorizing parts of the National Security Agency’s bulk phone-records program and said his chamber will not remain in session to wait for the Senate despite the end-of-May deadline.”
3. Robotics: picking the lock. Wired’s Andy Greenberg reports, “Careful what you leave in your lockers, high school students and gym-goers. An invasion of 3-D printed robots may be coming, capable of popping one of the world’s most ubiquitous brands of combination locks in as little as half a minute. On Thursday, well-known hacker Samy Kamkar published on his website the blueprint and software code for a 3-D-printable Arduino-based lock-opening robot he calls the ‘Combo Breaker.’”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Veteran affairs. “U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary Robert McDonald on Monday laid out a short-term plan to avoid a shutdown of the troubled Aurora medical complex as well as the first substantial cuts to control runaway costs. In a memo to leaders of the Senate and House veterans’ affairs committees, McDonald said veterans will have to do without a planned community living center and a post-traumatic stress disorder residential clinic. He acknowledged the moves were not ‘the best decision for Colorado veterans,’ but were ‘the only option available’ under a Congressional mandate to cut costs.”
2. Don’t be so Republican. “More than 30 members of the House Progressive Caucus still aren’t ready to back Hillary Clinton’s campaign, saying she has a ways to go to show she would champion their agenda as president. The resistance comes even as they acknowledge she’ll likely be the party’s nominee, and her campaign has mounted an early, aggressive courtship of lawmakers. ‘Ultimately, she simply needs to … not [be] a Republican for me to endorse her,’ said Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), co-chairman of the 70-member House Progressive Caucus.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “To recapture Ramadi from Islamic State, Iraq must use this formula.” Reuters contributor Hayder al-Khoei argues, “Far from being a simple struggle for power between Sunnis and Shi’ites, both intra-Sunni and intra-Shi’ite dynamics are going to play a massive role in the failure or success of this military campaign, as well as the future of Iraq.” See also, “Pentagon to accept help from Shia militias in Iraq.”
2. “Balancing China and the Realist Road to War.” The Diplomat contributors Jie Dalei and Jared McKinney argue, “The way to avoid a U.S.-China conflict is to step off the road to war. The first step off this road should be the admission that a concerted effort to balance against or contain China is a sure recipe for inviting a forcible response from Beijing and bringing conflict closer to the region.” See also, “The Biggest Trade Deal Ever Could Undermine American Security in the Asia-Pacific.”
3. “The US and a spiral of cyberfear.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “Before the US triggers an arms race in cyberweapons, it ought to rethink this strategy and focus more on strictly defensive steps and on its effort to deepen peaceful norms in cyberspace. The digital world’s positive traits are a source of strength against those who would use it for an attack.”
THE FUNNIES
2. Sore loser.
3. Which came first.
