FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1.  Simple: don’t do drugs. Get high. Get denied. Contributor Ashley LaGanga explains that “the applicant’s potential for impaired judgment was not as significant as his wholesale disregard for laws, rules, and regulations.  This defiance, however, damaged his perceived capacity for reliability and trustworthiness. It is irrelevant that illegal drug use occurs outside work hours and does not affect work product.”

2. Space, “to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills.” Contributor John Holst explains, “If you’ve paid careful attention, there are no space tourism flights occurring yet . . . most launch and flight activity up until now have been tests conducted by the different tenants. . . . Sometimes all it takes is a dream.” Remember JFK’s Space Speech, September 12, 1962.

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1.  Medals of Honor – 24 on their way. American Forces Press Service reports, “President Barack Obama will award 24 Army veterans the Medal of Honor for conspicuous gallantry during a White House ceremony March 18. These veterans will receive the Medal of Honor in recognition of their valor during major combat operations in World War II, the Korean War and the Vietnam War, according to a White House news release. Each of these soldiers’ bravery was previously recognized by award of the Distinguished Service Cross, the nation’s second highest military award. That award will be upgraded to the Medal of Honor in recognition of their gallantry, intrepidity and heroism above and beyond the call of duty.”

2.  The budget cometh – 4 March. DefenseOne.Com contributor Sara Sorcher’s preview: “The battles over next year’s defense budget are far from settled. They will be perhaps the most contentious yet, and for the military, the stakes will be higher than ever. The Defense Department is running out of ways to cushion the blow from budget cuts, and this time, the ax will fall closer to the core. Here’s what to know before the starting gun sounds…”

3.  U.S. to Putin: paws off Ukraine. Reuters’ Natalia Zinets and Alessandra Prentice report from Kiev, “Ukraine’s interim leadership pledged to put the country back on course for European integration now Moscow-backed Viktor Yanukovich had been ousted from the presidency, while the United States warned Russia against sending in its forces. . . . Scuffles in Russian-speaking Crimea and some eastern cities between supporters of the new order in Kiev and those anxious to stay close to Moscow revived fears of separatism that a week earlier were focused on the west, where Ukrainian nationalists had disowned Yanukovich and proclaimed self-rule.”

4.  Sgt. Bergdahl in suspension. AP’s Kathy Gannon reports, “Afghanistan’s Taliban said Sunday they had suspended “mediation” with the United States to exchange captive Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl for five senior Taliban prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, halting – at least temporarily . . . . the cause of the suspension was not the result of any issue between the United States and Taliban.”

5.  Navy’s carriers – a thing of the past? DefenseMediaNetwork.Com contributor Norman Friedman explains, “The great advantage of a carrier is that it brings tactical aircraft close to a target. If the role is close air support, the aircraft can spend a lot more of their limited time in the air where they are needed. Their pilots are not exhausted by long flights from land bases whose locations generally reflect political agreements rather than tactical needs. Because they are nearby, the airplanes from the carrier can fly again and again in the time it takes a more distant airplane to fly out and return to base for another load.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1. F-35B, she’s cracking up. AviationWeek.Com’s Amy Butler reports, “Cracks on an F-35B’s primary support structure found last year are more extensive than previously thought, triggering a halt in ground-based durability testing until the fourth quarter of this year. The initial cracks were found on section 496, a primary wing carry through bulkhead, last fall, prompting officials to stop the ground-based testing at hour 9,400 during the second life’s worth of use — or second 8,000 hr. of equivalent flight hours — to investigate the issue. Since then, cracking also has been discovered on adjacent bulkheads, according to Joe Dellavedova, spokesman for the F-35 Joint Program Office.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1. Avenger – the jet drone. Wired.Com contributor Allen McDuffee reports, “The U.S. may be forced to withdraw troops completely from Afghanistan by the end of the year. That’s badnews if you’re the CIA and your lethal drone flights over neighboring Pakistan rely on the close proximity of Afghan airstrips. Not surprisingly, the defense industry has already produced a solution: a new jet-powered drone that can range 1,800 miles from the nearest base. . . . Switching from propeller-driven drones to jets will allow the CIA to continue its Pakistan strikes from a more distant base, if and when the U.S. is forced to withdraw troops entirely from neighboring Afghanistan.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1.  X-ecutive action: “House Majority Leader Eric Cantor on Friday sent GOP lawmakers a memo outlining the chamber’s winter agenda, which mostly excludes major legislation, instead aiming to blunt the impact of the health care law and regulations implemented by the ‘imperial presidency’ of the Obama administration. Cantor announced that lawmakers will vote the week of March 10 on legislation aimed at curbing what the GOP views as an abuse of power by President Obama, who has said repeatedly in recent weeks that he plans to advance his agenda through executive action that does not require Congressional approval.”

2.  Executive action: “[Last] week, President Obama promoted tougher fuel efficiency standards for trucks. He touted progress on initiatives to strengthen the U.S. patent system. And he signed an executive order intended to speed up the process for approving import or export cargo. . . . the flurry of executive actions does seem to be having a cathartic effect inside the White House, which was in need of a jolt after a frustrating and disjointed 2013 that included the flawed rollout of Obama’s signature health care law and a sharp drop in the president’s approval ratings. Advisers who ended the year dispirited now appear buoyed by a new sense of purpose — and the prospect of working around a Congress that has long been an irritant to the president.”

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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.