The SOTUA Transcript & What it means
FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Sunshine State Job Opportunities. Contributor Tranette Ledford explains, “While it’s still all about sunshine, vacations and retirees, Florida is also hot with jobs for cleared veterans. The latest figures from the Florida Defense Alliance show the state spends more than $73 billion in defense related activities, accounting for more than 758,000 jobs. With its massive number of military and Department of Defense facilities, your clearance is a hot commodity. Mapping it by region, take your pick. All counties benefit from defense.
2. Volunteer – experience for free. Editor Lindy Kyzer explains, “For cleared job seekers and transitioning service members, dealing with uncertain schedules and free time can be a burden. Organizations such as Operation Gratitude aren’t just grateful for donations of money, donations of time are also critical. Volunteering between jobs is a great way to use your professional assets, build new skills, and reap the rewards of giving back to others.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Afghanistan in the rear view mirror (objects are closer than they appear). BBC.Co.UK’s Dominic Bailey explains the departure: “Withdrawing international forces from Afghanistan by the end of December 2014 is not just a case of putting troops on aircraft and flying them home. The mammoth logistical operation to withdraw by land, sea and air is well under way and ongoing, as combat missions continue until the 31 December deadline. Nato estimates that about 218,000 vehicles and containers of military equipment need to be shipped out of Afghanistan between March 2012 and December 2014. To date, approximately 80,000 vehicles and containers have been moved out of theatre.”
2. Terrorism – watch out for the couch. TheAtlantic.Com’s Micah Zenko puts things in some perspective: “According to [the National Counter Terrorism Center’s (NCTC’s) 2011 Report on Terrorism], the number of U.S. citizens who died in terrorist attacks increased by two between 2010 and 2011; overall, a comparable number of Americans are crushed to death by their televisions or furniture each year. This is not to diminish the real–albeit shrinking–threat of terrorism, or to minimize the loss and suffering of the 13,000 killed and over 45,000 injured around the world. For Americans, however, it should emphasize that an irrational fear of terrorism is both unwarranted and a poor basis for public policy decisions. Read the NCTC 2011 Report on Terrorism here.
3. National security in the State of the Union. Armed Forces Press Service’s Jim Garamone reports, “While President Barack Obama’s State of the Union speech tonight was dominated by domestic concerns, he also addressed national security concerns. The president touted his efforts to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. When he took office in January 2009, he noted, 180,000 Americans were serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Today, the war in Iraq is over and the war in Afghanistan is entering its final months. All of the troops are out of Iraq, and 60,000 Americans have been withdrawn from Afghanistan, with about 38,000 Americans still serving in the country.” Khaama.Com keyed in: “The US president Barack Obama announced Tuesday that the a small US military force may remain in Afghanistan beyond 2014, after the NATO-led coalition forces end their combat mission in the country.” DefenseNews.Com’s Patricia Kime reports, “Obama Emphasizes Diplomacy To Strengthen Security.” Finally, DefenseOne.Com’s Stephanie Gaskell reports, “Afghan War Will End With or Without Troop Deal.”
4. Abdul Fattah al-Sisi’s rise to higher power. Time reports, “Hanging throughout the capital are portraits of Abdul Fattah al-Sisi, the country’s Defense Minister and leader of Egypt’s armed forces, newly promoted to his superlative military rank, and the presumptive favorite to become Egypt’s president. The posters are plastered to shop windows and overpasses, painted in frosting on cupcakes and held aloft in wedding photos.”
5. Army’s Smartphone revolution in C2. DefenseOne.Com contributor Bob Brewin reports, “Battlefield communications gear is unsustainably cumbersome compared to commercial cellphone technology, according to Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno. ‘I can sit here in my chair and pull out my smartphone and talk to every continent in the world with one little smartphone,’ Odierno said at a breakfast meeting of the Association of the U.S. Army last Thursday. When it comes to battlefield communications, he said, ‘I have to bring 50 trucks and 300 soldiers. Why is that? We cannot do that anymore. Our command and control systems are too heavy today.’”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Contract opportunity for disabled vet-owned firms. Executive.Gov’s Mary-Louise Hoffman reports, “The Department of Veterans Affairs is reserving competition slots for a new business management support services contract for service-disabled veteran-owned small businesses. A formal solicitation is scheduled to be released this week for the Agile Delivery of VA Imminent Strategic and Operational Requirements program . . . .” Read the FedBizOpps.Gov posting here.
2. Navy’s new sub ready to dive! dive! dive! right in. DoDBuzz.Com’s Kris Osborn reports, “While floating partially submerged in icy waters along a dock at a General Dynamics’ Electric Boat facility here, the Navy’s first Block III Virginia-Class attack submarine is being readied for sea-trials, certifications and delivery. As a key step prior to formally handing the boat over to the Navy to begin service, Electric Boat engineers and Navy professionals are testing the electronics, wiring, missile tubes and propulsion system on-board the submarine, among other things, said Kurt Hesch, vice president of Virginia-Class submarines, Electric Boat.”
3. South Korea pushing forward with Lockheed Martin’s F-35. DefenseNews.Com covers, “South Korea plans to finalize the purchase of 40 next-generation F-35 jet fighters from US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin later this year, Seoul’s military procurement agency said. . . . Jung did not specifically name the F-35s, but they are the only jet fighters on offer that meet the requirement — laid down by the South Korean joint chiefs of staff last month — for a stealth-capable fighter. The absence of a stealth capability was behind the military’s decision in September to block a $7.7 billion deal to buy 60 of Boeing’s F-15 fighters.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Israel – cybersecurity innovations. Christian Science Monitor’s Christa Case Bryant reports, “Israel, as a country whose lack of natural resources and abundance of enemies has long driven innovation, is perhaps better positioned than most countries to tackle the emerging cyber threat. There is no guarantee of global success; the evolution of cybersecurity threats is unpredictable and hackers often outpace those pursuing them. But with Israeli military prowess in cybersecurity, significant government investment and incentives for multinationals, and unique collaboration between business and academia, Israel is well positioned to not only tackle one of the 21st century’s greatest challenges but turn it into an economic boon.”
2. Welcome to the Northrop Grumman Holodeck, Troop. Wired.Com’s Allen McDuffee reports, “If the Army is going to keep up with military readiness pressures while also seeing a reduction in troop size and stagnant budgets, then it’s going to need more cutting-edge videogames. Last week, the Army Contracting Command issued a Sources Sought notice for companies interested in demonstrating “mature technologies” for military training. Northrop Grumman thinks its Virtual Immersive Portable Environment (VIPE) Holodeck just may be the answer. . . . Northrop says it’s also exploring options for VIPE as a stepping stone to live-training within the medical field, as well as law enforcement and first responders for situations such as live-shooter or hostage scenarios.”
3. A robot for your desktop. VentureBeat.Com’s John Koetsier reports, “Rosenthal and Polyakov designed Kubi, a telepresence bot that costs “from one-fifth to even one-hundredth the cost” of other bots. Kubi has a flexible, rotating neck on which you place the head: any recent Android or iOS tablet. And then you plant Kubi wherever you want it — on a conference table, at your desk, in reception — and carry it around if you want to have mobile conversations. The result is surprisingly interactive.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Exec flex – I can’t sit still: “In a State of the Union address less partisan and pointed than many expected, President Obama on Tuesday said he was eager to work with Congress but willing to go it alone. Obama promised to unleash a torrent of new executive actions after a difficult year in which his agenda languished in Congress and his approval ratings plummeted. . . . ‘But America does not stand still — and neither will I. So wherever and whenever I can take steps without legislation to expand opportunity for more American families, that’s what I’m going to do.’”
2. Them there are fightin’ words: “Republicans reacted warily to President Obama’s declaration Tuesday night that he planned to act unilaterally to move his agenda if Congress is unwilling to go along with him. The GOP took Obama’s words as such a significant threat that it overshadowed other areas where the two parties have acknowledged they could perhaps work together on the agenda the president outlined in his State of the Union address, including tax reform, a plan to promote the use of natural gas, a job training proposal and pension reform. Instead, most GOP lawmakers emerged from the chamber focused on Obama’s promise to move his agenda “without legislation,” if necessary.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “Women in Combat: Trust Transcends Gender.” DefenseOne.Com contributor CJCS General Martin Dempsey argues, “When in contact with the enemy, the individual soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine doesn’t consider whether their comrade in arms is a man or woman. They care about whether they can do their job. There is a simple explanation for this: trust transcends gender. The service of our women and men in uniform is worthy of recognition today and every day.”
2. “Kerry’s focus on Israeli-Palestinian peace comes at great expense.” Christian Science Monitor contributor Kara L. Bue argues, “To increase the security of Israel and ensure the well-being and dignity of the Palestinian people are tremendously worthy goals. If they could be accomplished, it would be a significant achievement. But the truth of the matter is that an Israeli-Palestinian peace deal would not significantly alter the broader, more complex forces at work in the Middle East, or impact the challenges America faces in other parts of the world.”
3. “Assad’s terror farce at the Geneva talks.” Reuters contributor former Congressman Tom Perriello argues, “While their rhetoric is convenient, the reality is that only one side of the Syrian negotiations is actively fighting al Qaeda – the opposition. Though Assad has the capacity to attack extremists, from the spring of 2011 until today he has chosen to target civilians instead. . . . Peace in Syria is paramount. But we should be skeptical of the ‘good faith’ efforts of a regime that would rather foment an extremist movement made of foreigners than engage seriously with its own citizens.”
