FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Security Clearance Reform. Editor Lindy Kyzer reports, “The security clearance process is suffering from ‘glaring mistakes,’ according to congressional testimony on the security clearance process. In a hearing of the House of Representatives Oversight and Government Reform Committee, leaders discussed the findings of a new 44-page report outlining the flaws in the security clearance process in the wake of the D.C. Navy Yard Shooting. The report noted three critical areas of concern . . . .”
2. Danger Zone – contracts in Iraq. Contributor Charles Simmins explains, “Did you know that the United States is currently paying for over 5,000 civilian contractors in Iraq? After the withdrawal of US troops in Dec. 2011, and the failure to negotiate a Status of Forces agreement (SOFA) with Iraq, it has fallen to civilians to fill in for the military. The number of contractors has fallen in the last year but still remains significant. And while most contractors are in non-combat roles, it is dangerous work . . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Asia-Pacific threat and electronic warfare. Armed Forces Press Service’s Amaani Lyle reports, “Acting Deputy Secretary of Defense Christine H. Fox warned today against assuming a permissive environment for U.S. naval air and sea assets, saying threats continue to grow from rival military powers as well as from the proliferation of more advanced anti-ship munitions around the globe. . . . Fox said only through re-shaping and re-balancing the United States’ defense institutions will the resources be available to buy modern capabilities and invest in the next generation of electronic warfare.”
2. Air Force nukes: If at first you don’t succeed . . . . AP’s Robert Burns reports, “In launching a new search for cures to what ails its nuclear missile corps, the Air Force is considering proposals it tried five years ago, according to internal emails and documents obtained by The Associated Press. Many of the proposals fell short when they were tried before, but the new effort is more far-reaching, on a tighter timetable and backed by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel.”
3. Geneva II descending into chaos. Aljazeera.Com reports, “The talks have been held up over the agenda, with the opposition wanting first to discuss plans for a transitional government, and President Bashar al-Assad’s government insisting the first issue must be fighting terrorism – a word it uses for all armed rebels. Both sides said on Tuesday that the agenda had still not been agreed on. . . . Against this backdrop, the UN Security Council began debating on Tuesday a Western-Arab draft resolution that would demand humanitarian aid access to besieged Syrian areas, a text Russia has dismissed as ‘detached from reality.’”
4. al Qaeda in Egypt. LongWarJournal.Org’s Thomas Joscelyn shares his eye-opening testimony to Congress’ House Committee on Homeland Security’s Subcommittee on Counterterrorism and Intelligence on AQ’s expansion into Egypt: “Al Qaeda likely has ‘core’ leaders inside Egypt today. During and after the 2011 uprisings, senior jihadists allied with al Qaeda were freed. Others returned from abroad, including from Iran, which offered Egyptian jihadist leaders a form of safe haven for years.”
5. Dwindling influence in Afghanistan. Khaama.Com reports, “The United States Forces in Afghanistan (USFOR-A) condemned the ordered release of 65 detainees from Afghan National Detention Facility in northern Parwan province of Afghanistan. . . . ‘The release of these detainees is a major step backward for the rule of law in Afghanistan. Some previously-released individuals have already returned to the fight, and this subsequent release will allow dangerous insurgents back into Afghan cities and villages,’ USFOR-A said in its statement.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Today – Federal contractor minimum wage raise. AP’s Julie Pace reports, “The White House says President Barack Obama will sign an executive order Wednesday increasing the minimum wage for federal contractors. Obama first announced the measure during his State of the Union address. He has cast the move as a way to spur Congress to increase the hourly minimum wage for all workers from $7.25 to $10.10.” A closer look at the proposal at BusinessWeek.Com.
2. Contractor liability – how far does it go? FederalTimes.Com’s Andy Medici reports, “The Professional Services Council is pushing the Supreme Court to review a U.S. Court of Appeals ruling that a lawsuit filed by the family of a soldier over faulty electrical wiring can continue. The soldier died in 2008 while showering at a forward operating base near Baghdad, Iraq, and the family filed a lawsuit against the facility manager KBR. In August the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit ruled that the suit against KBR can move forward, which the PSC argues is against contracting liability guidelines that limit claims by third parties to the government and not contractors.”
3. Osprey spreads its wings in Singapore. AviationWeek.Com’s Anthony Osborne reports, “With foreign interest in the V-22 Osprey rapidly gathering pace, the U.S. has decided to show off the type’s capabilities here at the Singapore air show. Two of the Bell-Boeing tiltrotors have deployed from their home base in Japan to feature in the show’s flying and static display. . . . As many as 17 V-22s could be purchased by Japan, on top of the six MV-22s requested by Israel in a recent Defense Security Cooperation Agency request to Congress about a Foreign Military Sales deal for the aircraft.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Metadata+ drone attack track App. DefenseOne.Com contributor Robinson Meyer reports, “The app was made by data artist and web developer Josh Begley. Its two views variously mirror iOS’s Messages interface, displaying the date, location, and victims of each killing; it also shows a map of U.S. drone strikes across the Middle East and Somalia. Most strikingly, Metadata+ will send users an in-app notification whenever there’s a new strike.”
2. Data-based hiring. NextGov.Com’s Joseph Marks explains, “Even for potential tech hires, the job interview is still a pretty analog affair. You sit down, palms sweaty with a forced smile, and try to match the bullet points you crammed into your head last night to whatever your interviewer is asking. Or maybe you’re out to lunch, trying to look like you’re eating while still keeping your mouth free to answer a question at any moment. The folks over at NPR’s Planet Money (one of the best podcasts, period, for anyone who’s unfamiliar) put together a great episode last month about how new data analysis tools may finally put an end to the traditional job interview.”
3. Practice safe text. Time’s Fox Van Allen reports, “To help better illustrate the importance of online safety and security, Microsoft recently released the results of its 2013 Microsoft Computer Safety Index study. The survey tracked safety behavior of nearly 10,500 people worldwide to get a handle on just how costly these digital threats can be, and to make recommendations on how to better protect against online danger. The bottom line: An estimated $23 billion was lost last year to online risks such as phishing, ID theft, viruses, data leaks and more. The biggest cost – and arguably, the biggest threat – was damage to professional reputation to the tune of $4.5 billion yearly.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Raise debt ceiling, the kitty gets it: “A group of House Republicans has received a mysterious threat in recent weeks: an anonymous email that promises political retribution for those who vote yes to a debt-limit increase — sent to their closely guarded personal email addresses. . . . ‘It’s got to be another member. Probably one of the crazy ones,’ said a Republican who had seen the email . . . . lawmakers received a set of forwarded emails sent by ‘unrepresentative one’ to Oklahoma Rep. James Lankford and Speaker John Boehner. The apparent message to GOP House members: If you vote for a debt-limit increase, an outside group mentioned in the email will mobilize against you.”
2. Kitty dead: “Boehner violated his own rule by allowing the White House to win a year-long increase of the debt ceiling — with no strings attached. Senate Republican leaders urged their members to allow a quick final vote on Wednesday and drop filibuster attempts to prolong the debate. In a private lunch, Senate Republicans were more concerned about ‘getting the hell out of town’ before an impending snowstorm than digging in on a fight they once relished, according to a GOP senator. And Boehner even privately told conservatives Tuesday they should be relieved because the concession got the ‘monkey off our backs,’ sources said.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “Take Two for the Taliban?” USNews.Com contributor Jason Campbell argues, “Despite the tough words, however, the Taliban’s prospects of once again ruling Afghanistan are dubious at best and actions by the Afghan government and international community can help keep them that way.”
2. “The age of dissent.” Aljazeera.Com contributor John Bell argues, “We are better informed, more aware of inequalities due to globalisation, as well as the shady complicity of our leaders. Smart phones and computers have also accelerated and improved organisational capacity, and middle classes have risen in many countries, along with their related demands. As a result, average folk are haunted by the stark possibility that the state can no longer provide for their material and emotional needs; employment and a sense of dignity and empowerment are all under serious threat.”
THE FUNNIES
