Who’s Hiring
Wanted: Someone Who Can Survive a Confirmation Hearing and Hasn’t Had an Affair with their Biographer
I’m not sure if you’ve heard, but the CIA is looking for a new director. It’s one of the few defense industry jobs that seems to be wide open right now.
Who’s Firing
Connecticut Talks Sequestration, Boeing Makes Big Cuts
It’s not just the Washington, D.C. area that’s quaking in fear of sequestration. A study released this week by the Defense Technology Initiative in Massachusetts notes that the departments of defense and homeland security together employee about 40,900. State businesses received $12.7 billion in contracts from those same departments in 2011. While sequestration hasn’t yet caused a wave of pink slip notices, it has delayed companies from expanding and has business leaders wondering how their state economy will recover from massive cuts.
Boeing last week announced plans to cut 30 percent of its management jobs, close facilities and consolidate several business units. The layoffs will affect thousands and come after several years of cuts and consolidations. In recent years, defense operations, which provide 40 percent of Boeing’s revenue, have become less profitable, forcing the restructuring and layoffs in order for the company to remain competitive.
Who’s Moving
More Business Out of New Jersey, U.S. Moves Space Systems to Australia
In more bad news for the state of New Jersey Lockheed Martin announced plans to vacate 82,000 square feet of leased space in Cherry Hill. The jobs will move to other locations including Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio and Florida. A number of other firms have vacated the region in recent years, and the BRAC closure of Fort Monmouth, which was fully implemented in 2010, also had a negative impact on the region.
The United States Military continues to move its focus toward the Pacific region, and an announcement this week that two U.S. space surveillance systems will now be hosted in Australia is yet another sign of strengthened relationships with Pacific partners. The radar will be delivered in 2014. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta described it as “a major leap forward in bilateral space cooperation.”
Lindy Kyzer is the editor of ClearanceJobs.com. She loves cybersecurity, social media, and the U.S. military. Have a conference, tip, or story idea to share? Email editor@clearancejobs.com.
