Happy Father’s Day.

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCE JOBS.COM

1.  ClearanceJobs.com’s Jillian Hamilton welcomes OPM’s new mobile APP:  “The application is more than simple convenience,” writes Jillian, “it signals the government’s continued shift to ‘go mobile’ and make data accessible to all – including the growing number of individuals who use their smartphone more than their personal computer.”  Wonder if NSA has one of those?

2.  Cleaning out her closet.  In an ongoing examination of the JPAS, Lindy Kyzer, ClearanceJobs.com Editor, explains why – and how – you need to ask DODCAF who (they’ve decided) you are:  “As noted by security clearance consultant William Henderson, ‘Many people learn about Incident Reports after the fact. The Government does not have to notify them about the Incident Report.’”

3.  An Achilles heel.  JPAS Incident Reports:  they’re not adverse actions, technically speaking.  Part II of ClearanceJobs.com three part look at JPAS Incident Reports, Whistleblowing, and some of your clearance’s soft spots: “By definition and in the eyes of DoD, a JPAS Incident Report is not in itself an adverse action, though everyone has to recognize that there may be second, third, and fourth order effects that an employee might find adverse.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1.  Sexual Assault Missile (SAM) lock on the New York Air Guard.  AP’s Chris Carola reports, “A high-profile New York Air National Guard airlift wing has promoted sexual abusers instead of punishing them, according to the retired officer who handled claims of sexual assault in the unit.”

2.  Don’t feed the cats.  In “West Point superintendent misused his office,” Washington Post’s Craig Whitlock reports, “the three-star Army general in charge of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point misused his office by having subordinates perform personal tasks . . . . Lt. Gen. David H. Huntoon Jr., the West Point superintendent, improperly made staffers work at private charity dinners, provide free driving lessons and feed a friend’s cats.”  The scary part:  Huntoon cannot drive and likes cats.

3.  Israel + U.S. > AssadTime’s Karl Vick reports, “Israeli and U.S. military officials are coordinating how to target and destroy Assad’s arsenal of unconventional weapons under assorted scenarios, Israeli military and intelligence officials tell TIME. One scenario would be the sudden removal of Assad from the scene, be it by flight, death or if he simply disappears. That would prompt the allies to launch operations on the estimated 18 depots and other sites where WMDs are stored, the officials said.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1.  F-35 Joint Strike Fighter ramps up.  Frank Kendall, Undersecretary of Defense for Acquisition, Technology, and Logistics, euphorically announces he’s not euphoric (yet):  “he expects to ramp up production of the fifth-generation fighter to 44 planes in 2015 and 66 in 2016, an increase in line with what the Pentagon has previously projected.”

2.  Shut up and color, says GAO.  Reports the Associated Press, “A federal agency has rejected Wichita-based Beechcraft’s protest of the award of an Air Force contract for light air support planes to Sierra Nevada Corp. and its Brazil-based partner, Embraer.”

3.  Special (Booz Allen Hamilton) Ops.  NextGov.com announces, “In July 2011, SOCOM awarded Booz Allen (along with six other contractors) a $62.5 million deal to provide it with ‘enterprisewide application management services to manage USSOCOM’s global enterprise IT computing environment.’ . . . three days after Snowden identified himself as the source of document leaks detailing NSA phone and Internet snooping projects, SOCOM put out a contract notice that it planned to extend its contract with Booz Allen and the other six vendors for two years to give it time to plan another set of contracts.”

4.  Bottom up innovation.  Patrick Ruffini strikes GOP gold:  “A clear lesson emerges time and again when it comes to technology: no matter how smart and well-intentioned your leadership is, innovation still mostly comes from the bottom up. . . . To succeed, the GOP’s platform must be open to all Republicans and conservatives and not closed off to all but a handful of select vendors. This must be a conscious policy decision made with an eye towards enticing new entrants into the marketplace, even if that means disrupting the existing consultant class.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1.  Voices in your head.  Venture Beat’s Meghan Kelly reports, “Senate security is reportedly telling its staffers to ignore the widely available ‘top secret’ documents that revealed a couple of the NSA’s data collections programs last week.  According to Forbes, the department sent out an e-mail to its employees saying that despite the fact that the information is out there and in the public eye, it is still classified and should be treated as such.”

2.  Diversion De.  Clapper’s diversion – clear his throat and point to Rajesh De, “someone even Washington doesn’t know too well.”  Quartz.com’s Josh Meyer says, “Meet Rajesh [Raj] De, the general counsel for the US National Security Agency, and the lawyer with perhaps the biggest influence on the Obama administration’s approach to large-scale surveillance.”

3.  Universal Solutions International . . . aren’t universal solutions always already international solutions?  Anyway, “Universal Solutions International has won a $85 million contract with the U.S. Army to provide contractor logistics services.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1.  Chemical icing on the yellow cake.  Karen DeYoung, Anne Gearan and Scott Wilson of the Washington Post report that according to U.S. officials “the determination to send weapons [to Syrian rebels] had been made weeks ago and that the chemical weapons finding provided fresh justification to act” and describe the broad implications of the Syrian battlefield:   “Obama is joining a proxy war far more complicated than it was even a few months ago. It now features the United States and its European and Arab allies on one side, and Russia, Iran and its sponsored militias on the other in support of Assad.”

2.  Lindsey Graham barely contains himself.  Demonstrating his flair for strategic planning, Graham squealed, “’We can crater the runways. . . . We can stop the planes from flying. We can shoot planes down without having one boot on the ground.’”  Buzz kill and House Armed Services Committee Representative Jon Runyan from Jersey understated in response, “’Some people around here jump to conclusions.’”

3.  Friends of Bill.  Chris Christie’s subtle moves toward the White House cross Hillary:  In the Bill and Chris show, “Left undiscussed was the circumstance the two men could confront in a few years, when Clinton’s wife, Hillary, may find herself running for president against Christie.”  

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1.  Sage advice in an era of sexual assault prevention.  Army Lt.Col. Elizabeth Robbins offers “I have always understood that the brotherhood of arms ends at the first drink. Upstanding, highly disciplined soldiers can become leering fools under the influence of alcohol, and I know from hard experience that in off-duty social settings, it is best to drink lightly and leave early.”

2.  Financial Times referees the cyberwar:  “The US and China both engage in cyber offence. But there are big differences in what they do. The US is largely focused on securing information that protects national security. China’s operations are alleged to be different.”

3.  Patriot Balancing Act.  Ruth Marcus of Washington Post reports, “Ron Wydan doesn’t want “to call the director of national intelligence a liar.”

THE FUNNIES

1.  School’s out & “School’s Out

2.  Military Intelligence

3.  Decisions, decisions

4.  Blurry red line

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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.