Manic Monday.

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1.  Competition will be keen for NSA positions, contributor Lindy Kyzer predicts: “NSA careers may be a great fit for you. The NSA, or National Security Agency, is a high technology organization looking for the best tech talent. While the Agency employs everything from security guards to cafeteria workers the majority of positions require a college degree and computer expertise. The one common denominator for every employee working in the building – a security clearance.”

2.  The Single Scope Background Investigation (SSBI). Contributor Jeffrey Bennett deep-dives into the coveted TS-SCI: “The scope of the SSBI investigation goes back 10 years for general information concerning finances, education and professional activities. The investigators will check 7 years back for more personal information such as relationships and character references.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1.  Senate’s Syria vote on Wednesday. Reuters’ update on the up-Hill fight: “Syrian President Bashar al-Assad denied that he was behind a chemical weapons attack on the Syrian people, as the White House on Sunday pressed ahead with the uphill effort of persuading Congress to approve a military strike to punish Assad.” From AP, “Obama Trying to Sway War-Wear Public.”

2.  An attack on Syria is an attack on Assad’s allies. We’d say the same thing. Are we prepared for the potential reaction to our action?  Aljazeera.Com reports, “Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has warned the US against striking his country and denied ever using chemical weapons as the Barack Obama administration tries to drum up support for a military strike. . . . The Syrian president denied that he was behind the chemical weapons attack on the Syrian people and said evidence was not conclusive that there had been such an attack . . . .”  And Russia warns strikes could result in an “outburst of terrorism.”

3.  Who will replace Karzai? No one seems to know. Looking ahead to its 2014 elections, Afghanistan cannot find a front-runner.  Khaama.Com reports, “According to a French think tank, there is still no favourite candidate to succeed president Hamid Karzai for the upcoming presidential election scheduled to be organized earlier next year. . . . Karim Pakzad, a researcher in Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS) . . . said, ‘For the first time in Afghanistan there is no favourite.’”

4.  In AFRICOM’s AoR, Nigerian violence escalates. The BBC reports, “At least 18 people have died in clashes between suspected Boko Haram fighters and a vigilante group in Borno state in north-eastern Nigeria . . . . The attack comes just days after the army launched huge raids on Boko Haram camps, killing about 50 militants. Boko Haram wants to create an Islamic state across Nigeria. . . . Observers says it appears Boko Haram is taking revenge against vigilante groups, adding weight to fears that the strategy may trigger an escalation of the violence.”

5.  In Egypt, calls for General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi to run for presidency. Reuters Michael Gregory reports that “former Arab League chief Amr Moussa, who also ran in last year’s election, said Sisi would win by a landslide. Egyptians had become ‘angry and afraid of anarchy and terrorism’ and wanted a decisive leader . . . . Sisi has said he does not seek authority though speculation he will run has mounted since he toppled the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mursi from the presidency on July 3.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1.  $100 million to SAIC. GovConWire.Com reports on the big win for Science Applications International Corp. (NYSE: SAI): “The single-award, indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity contract has three base years and two one-year options . . . . SAIC will help [Defense Threat Reduction Agency] manage material procurements, shipping, warehousing, travel and information systems under the agency’s Cooperative Threat Reduction program.”

2. DARP comes up significantly short on Broad Agency Announcements.  The DoD Inspector General released its audit report this morning: “DARPA personnel did not consistently adhere to the scientific review process and Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) requirements before awarding contracts from BAAs for 35 of 36 contracts. DARPA personnel did not fully implement the scientific review process or FAR requirements supporting the contract type selection.”  Read the full report.

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1.  Beating the NSA.  Right.  If you are looking to keep the NSA from peeking at your love-letter-emails, there may be some safe space left.  PCWorld.Com reviews your last best chances for private space: “You’re better off using tools that employ open-source or public-domain encryption methods, as they need to work with every vendor’s software and, in the case of open-source encryption, can be scrutinized for potential security flaws. . . . Proprietary encryption tools created overseas may—may—also be less likely to have installed NSA-friendly backdoors into their software.”

2.  Hacking Brazil. Looks like it’s related to terrorism, if you close one eye and squint the other. Reuters’ Paulo Prada and Asher Levine lay out the latest NSA revelations, and we seem to be getting further and further away from any feasible terrorist- or security-related arguments: “The U.S. government tapped into computer networks of companies including Google Inc. and Brazilian state-run oil firm Petroleo Brasileiro SA, according to leaked U.S. documents aired by Globo, Brazil’s biggest television network.”

3.  Amphibious fleet demand rising like the tideAviationWeek.Com reports, “Now, with the littoral focus and growing interest in delivering humanitarian aid in the wake of natural disasters, navies are finding a solid anchor for amphibious aspirations. Their sails are filling quickly with plans for larger amphibious fleets and other ships to support those missions. The U.S. Navy in particular is searching for innovative ways to buttress such operations while refining equipment to move forces from ship to shore. Two promising vessels for amphibious support operations, Navy brass say, are the Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV), which provide transit of more than 40 kt. into shallow coastal waters.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1.  The GOP’s Anti-War March. Turning hippie? Maybe not (yet), but the GOP is on the road to flowers in barrels. McClatchyDC.Com fans away the purple haze to analyze the catalysts of this strange evolution: “Some of the shift is driven by visceral distrust of President Barack Obama, who is the one proposing military strikes against Syria. Some is driven by remorse and lessons learned from the Iraq war. And some is fed by the isolationist and libertarian strains of the grassroots tea party movement.”  GOP’s new anthem.  And, McCain on legalizing pot – maybe we should.

2.  Congress returns – did they do their homework?  NavyTimes.Com Staff Writer John T. Bennett maps out assignments on their desks: Syria, Continuing Resolution, Debt Ceiling, Defense Bills: “When both chambers departed for an annual summer recess five weeks ago, there was no expectation that the first item on the fall agenda would be whether to authorize President Barack Obama to rain Tomahawk cruise missiles down on tens of targets related to Assad’s chemical weapons arsenal. But that’s what will confront congressional leaders and rank-and-file members — and the vote-counting already has begun.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1.  Our last best hope for a positive outcome in Syria – the “right rebels.”  Paris bureau chief and Middle East editor for Newsweek and The Daily Beast Christopher Dickey argues, “Support for a well-vetted opposition in Syria is one of the best hopes Washington has to affect the outcome of that war in a way the United States and its allies can accept.”  Also see Dickey’s 5 things to know.

2.  Iraq Vet – Syria is No-Go TerrainTheDailyBeast.Com contributor and Iraq War Vet Brian Van Weet argues, “Iraq may not be Syria, but it’s too close for my comfort.”

3.  Who will fall?  Assad or Obama?  Aljazeera.Com contributor Mark Levine argues that “the entire process by which the president has tried to steer the US towards a bombing campaign reveals such a shocking display of political and diplomatic incompetence – one of the greatest in US history – that he couldn’t have done more to aid the Assad regime if he tried.”

THE FUNNIES

1.  Voices in his head.

2.  Who will fall?

3.  Assad’s fan club.

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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.