FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Cleared job search – dive in deep. Editor Lindy Kyzer advises, “. . . employers use Cleared Network groups to determine which candidates are most actively engaged in their job search[.] Cleared Network group activity signals that a job seeker is more likely to be responsive, and is taking steps to advance his or her job search. In addition to simply joining groups on the Cleared Network, it’s important to be involved. Here are the top spots you need to be aware of.”
2. Your Defense Industry interview prep – top 5 questions. Contributor Diana Rodriguez explains, “When preparing for an interview the critical question is – what questions will I be asked? The defense industry and defense contracting careers come with their own unique requirements. Expect questions that delve into your trustworthiness, as well as your capabilities.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. In Syria, chemical weapons moving out. Reuters’ Oliver Holmes and Erika Solomon report from Beirut, “Syria has started moving chemical weapons materials out of the country in a crucial phase of an internationally backed disarmament program that has been delayed by war and technical problems. The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons said on Tuesday that ‘priority chemical materials’ were transported to the port of Latakia and onto a Danish vessel which was now sailing towards international waters.”
2. Frustrated Veterans watching Iraq unravel from the sidelines. AP’s Allen G. Breed and Julie Watson report, “is no surprise that the city’s recent fall to al-Qaida-linked forces has touched a nerve for the service members who fought and bled there. Some call the news “disheartening,” saying it revives painful memories of their sacrifice, while others try to place it in the context of Iraq’s history of internal struggle since the ouster of dictator Saddam Hussein in 2003. As difficult as it is to see Islamist banners flying from government buildings they secured, they refuse to accept this as a permanent reversal.” DoD sending UAV to Iraq in support: “the United States is speeding delivery of unmanned aerial vehicles Iraq purchased under the foreign military sales program to help in tracking and thwarting al-Qaida-affiliated groups . . . .”
3. In Syria, al-Qaeda and splinter groups in-fight. Aljazeera.Com reports, “An Al-Qaeda-linked group has called on Iraqi Sunnis who have seized one city and part of another to keep battling government forces, as fighting and attacks killed 56 people. . . . ‘Oh Sunni people, you were forced to take up the weapon,” Abu Mohammed al-Adnani, spokesman for al-Qaeda-linked group the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), said in an audio recording released on Tuesday. ‘Do not lay the weapon down, because if you put it down this time, the (Shia) will enslave you and you will not rise again,’ he urged Iraqi Sunnis, referring to the Shia-led government in Baghdad. al Qaeda calls for consolidation among the myriad rebel forces: “’The (Muslim) nation was shocked to hear of the internal infighting between the jihadist factions in the past number of days. We believe in an Islam with competing factions but a number of treacherous sides have exploited the current situation to carry out Western plans or for personal gain. We see the majority of the current fighting as a sedition amongst Muslims,’ al-Golani said in his audio statement, published on Tuesday.” And Time’s Aryn Baker puts the region in context.
4. Afghanistan to Iraq, foreign policy playing out. AP’s Julie Pace and Lara Jakes report, “President Barack Obama is confronted with a recent burst of strength by al-Qaida that is chipping away at the remains of Mideast stability, testing his hands-off approach to conflicts in Iraq and Syria at the same time he pushes to keep thousands of U.S. forces in Afghanistan. . . . This invigorated front highlights the tension between two of Obama’s top foreign policy tenets: to end American involvement in Mideast wars and to eradicate insurgent extremists – specifically al-Qaida. It also raises questions about the future U.S. role in the region if militants overtake American gains made during more than a decade of war.”
5. Space defense remains a priority. American Forces Press Services’ Jim Garamone reports, “Space is fundamental to the economy, the military and the way of life in the United States and officials must continue to guard against challenges in the domain from adversaries, the commander of Air Force Space Command said . . . . In the past 60 years, space has grown from a domain with a lone satellite beeping across the heavens to a $300 billion economic engine.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Army contracting’s multi-billion dollar combos. FederalTimes.Com’s Nicole Blake Johnson explains new Army contracting vehicles, “One of the biggest developments is the Army’s decision to combine two of its multi-billion dollar contracts: the upcoming Rapid Response 4th Generation (R2-4G) and Strategic Services Sourcing 2nd Generation (S32G) procurements, said Jennifer Sakole, principal analyst for federal information services at Deltek. Deltek estimates the R2-4G procurement is worth $16.4 billion and expects requirements for the upcoming contract will be similar to the current program, where contractors provide services to research, develop, study and maintain government platforms and systems. The Army’s S32G contract will be worth an estimated $30 billion and include support for command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance, as well as other professional information technology services.”
2. Serial production of littoral ships a reality. DefenseMediaNetwork.Com’s Edward H. Lundquist reports, “These ships are the first vessels procured under the block buy contract awarded in 2010 and represent the true beginning of ‘serial production’ for the class. With serial production, the U.S. Navy is able to realize benefits such as improved cost structure per vessel and reduced construction time. The Navy’s LCS program features two distinctly different variants. The monohull USS Freedom variant is produced by a Lockheed Martin led industry team at Marinette. The trimaran design USS Independence variant is built by a team led by Austal USA. Milwaukee is a Freedom variant, and Jackson one of the Independence variants.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Laws of war in the balance. DefenceTalk.Com’s Editor explains, “Today’s emerging military technologies-including unmanned aerial vehicles, directed-energy weapons, lethal autonomous robots, and cyber weapons like Stuxnet-raise the prospect of upheavals in military practices so fundamental that they challenge long-established laws of war. Weapons that make their own decisions about targeting and killing humans, for example, have ethical and legal implications obvious and frightening enough to have entered popular culture (for example, in the Terminator films).”
2. All-in-One computers all the rage. Time reports from Vegas, “Tower-based desktops aren’t as popular as they once were, now that many shoppers favor mobility and compact design over the traditional desktop benefits of power and easy upgradability. One big exception: all-in-one PCs. The sleek desktop system has found a place away from office desks at the center of home and family life, as communication hubs and media centers. At this year’s CES, we’re seeing some interesting innovations in the all-in-one computer category with the potential to shake things up as thoroughly as tablets did a few years ago.”
3. In context – the Snowden leak effects. Wired.Com’s detailed study and report is worth the time to read. Steven Levy explains, “The Snowden leaks called into question the Internet’s role as a symbol of free speech and empowerment. If the net were seen as a means of widespread surveillance, the resulting paranoia might affect the way people used it. Nations outraged at US intelligence-gathering practices used the disclosures to justify a push to require data generated in their countries to remain there, where it could not easily be hoovered by American spies. Implementing such a scheme could balkanize the web, destroying its open essence and dramatically raising the cost of doing business. Silicon Valley was reeling, collateral damage in the war on terror. And it was only going to get worse.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Dance to this a while, boys – Gates’ Tell All book. “Former Defense Secretary Robert Gates asserts in a new memoir that President Barack Obama grew frustrated with U.S. policy in Afghanistan and that Vice President Joe Biden has been wrong on nearly every foreign policy and national security issue. He also accuses members of Congress of inquisition-like treatment of administration officials.”
2. You’ll shoot your eye out! “Capitol Hill was ready to give Apache helicopters to Baghdad to help fight al Qaeda, but now senators worry the prime minister will use the weapons on domestic enemies. Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki still hasn’t done enough to prove that he can be trusted with heavy U.S. weapons such as Apache helicopters, several top Senators told The Daily Beast. . . . Meanwhile, the Obama administration has sped up the sales of other weapons in order to help Iraq repel the growing al Qaeda presence. White House Press Secretary Jay Carney said Monday the U.S. will deliver this spring a new batch of Hellfire missiles, ten ScanEagle surveillance UAVs, and later this year, eight Raven surveillance UAVs.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “The repercussions of America’s uncertain tone in the Middle East.” WaPo contributor James Jeffrey argues, “. . . the Obama administration is taking the right actions. But, as also often happens in this region, the administration is sounding an uncertain tone, seemingly signaling to everyone that its top priority is to not get the United States into any sort of military engagement . . . . The result has been an extraordinary collapse of U.S. credibility in the region despite many commendable administration steps.”
2. “Who can end Iraq’s Sunni-Shiite violence?” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “A few choice words right now from one particular person could help keep Iraq from descending into civil war between its minority Sunnis and a Shiite-dominated regime – and possibly prevent Al Qaeda from taking over even more cities like Fallujah. That person is Iraq’s Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, a quiet and widely respected Shiite leader.”
3. “2014’s top 10 political risks.” Reuters contributor Ian Bremmer argues, “Since the 2008 financial crisis, the world’s biggest risks have been economic. From a euro zone meltdown, to a Chinese hard landing, to the U.S. debt crisis, analysts have spent the past five years worrying about how to stave off financial implosion. That’s over. In 2014, big-picture economics are relatively more stable. But geopolitics are very much in play. The impact of the G-Zero world — one that increasingly lacks global leadership and coordination — is on display.”
