ON AFGHANISTAN
– CNN Security Clearance on this weeks meeting of the minds between Preisdent Obama, Secretary Panetta and Hamid Karzai:
"The Pentagon expects to get a read on Thursday from Afghan President Hamid Karzai on what he expects from the U.S. military going forward, a defense official said. "We’re going to tell them where we think it’s going as far as training the Afghan National Security Forces, and they’ll tell us where they think it’s going," the official said. Karzai’s visit will cover the residual troop presence following the planned withdrawal of American combat forces in 2014 as well as negotiating an end to the war, another U.S. official said. That official said reconciliation talks have "shown some signs of life after being dormant for the past year."
– There’s trouble in paradise, however. As the New York Times reported this morning, the reconciliation program has failed many of the very same fighters it sought to "integrate":
Eidi Mohammed, a former Taliban commander who recently renounced violence and sought amnesty under the Afghan government’s reconciliation program, has had another change of heart. Now he is thinking about rejoining his old comrades. Jobless and losing hope he will ever find work, Mr. Mohammed, 38, took his frustrations to provincial officials. They told him there was nothing they could do. “The moment I feel like I can move, I will go back to the mountains, rearm myself and fight you again,” Mr. Mohammed, who is recovering from a recent gunshot wound to the leg caused by a clash with a police officer, recalled warning the governor, police chief and top security official of Badghis Province. He is not alone. Interviews with more than a dozen former insurgents find a group embittered and torn about their choice to lay down their arms. Many are unable to work and often unable to return to their villages for safety reasons; most feel the government has cheated them. “I am just counting the days before someone kills me,” said Akhtar Mohammad, a former Taliban commander in Oruzgan. “Every passing moment I feel regret for joining the peace process.”
– Meanwhile, DefenseNews previews the kind of force levels we’d be looking at:
Ahead of Karzai’s visit to Washington, the Obama administration revealed some options being discussed internally for the post-2014 planning. The administration has several options for its military plans for Afghanistan beyond 2014: a force of more than 4,000 U.S. troops or one reportedly favored by the White House as small as 2,500.
ON THE FIGHT
Danger Room examines the record on John Brennan, the presumed leader of the Central Intelligence Agency (pending confirmation, of course). According to their reporting, he is not the backbencher he seems.
ON THE FORCE
The Congressional Research Service conducted a study and issued a subsequent report that concludes there are too many definitions of homeland security.
The Center for Budgetary and Strategic Assessments put one of its top men in front of the cameras this week to break down a comprehehsive look at the Pentagon, post-sequestration. Aside from branding it "stupid", the CSBA analyst concluded it would be bad for the department, but no "apocalypse".
The Air Force’s top leader has previewed what that service could look like in the face of impending budget cuts. Two-seaters, gunships and more tankers are all on the table.
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Rick Howard has joined TASC as chief information security officer, the company announced. Howard will lead the development of a strategic vision, security architecture and technical roadmaps for information security throughout the company. He most recently served as a general manager at VeriSign Inc., where he was responsible for the iDefense business unit, a cybersecurity intelligence organization.
ON SECRECY – OR LACK THEREOF
The Defense Intelligence Agency accidentally exposes a satellite analysis facility in Fort Worth, Texas.
CONTRACT WATCH
Consolidated Nuclear Security has won a contract with the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration for management of two key nuclear arms facilities. CNS will take over operations at the Y-12 National Security Complex in Tennessee and the Pantex Plant in Texas starting May 1. The new contract is set for five years with an option for another five years. It would provide $3.27 billion in savings over the decade.
ITT Exelis is seeking a program director to coordinate it business development initatives with US Special Operations Command, located in beautiful Tampa, Florida.
Jacobs Technology is looking for a Pashtu linguist with a top secret security clearance.
iGov has received a half-billion dollar contract to run and assess US Special Operations Command’s tactical local area network, a top initative of the incumbent commander.
Robert Caruso is a veteran of the United States Navy, and has worked for the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction, Business Transformation Agency and the Office of the Secretary of Defense.
