Tuesday’s Tops & Say it isn’t so, Joe
FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Your eConscience: Automated Continuous Evaluation System (ACES). Editor Lindy Kyzer explains, “For cleared professionals, continuous monitoring could have significant impacts. Under continuous monitoring the government will begin automatically collecting information ranging from your boat registration to your divorce proceedings – almost any public information is fair game for collection (although you would sign a disclaimer allowing the government to access that information). Just as there are currently processes for protesting a security clearance denial or statement of reasons, there would also be opportunities to mitigate adverse information that appeared through the ACES program.” Read more on ACES at NPR.
2. Vet transition—Program Management. Also from Editor Kyzer, “Veterans are often the perfect fit for a career in program management. Their military experience directly translates to the pressure of managing government dollars and personnel on the civilian side. Program managers work for both defense contractors, as well as directly for the federal government.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Ukraine—diplomatic impasse. New York Times’ Michael R. Gordon and Steven Lee Myers report from Washington, “The Obama administration’s effort to solicit Russia’s help to defuse the crisis in Ukraine hit a roadblock on Monday when Secretary of State John Kerry delayed an anticipated trip to Russia and the two sides issued dueling accounts of their recent diplomacy. Apparently in an effort to portray the United States as the intransigent party, the Kremlin took the unusual step of televising a brief exchange between President Vladimir V. Putin and the Russian foreign minister, Sergey V. Lavrov, in which they complained that Mr. Kerry had spurned an invitation to come to Russia for consultations. The State Department responded by rushing out a statement saying that it was the Russians who were not prepared to engage in discussions on the United States’ proposals, especially the idea that they meet with officials from the new Ukrainian government.” Don’t miss—Russia’s ‘Goblin.’
2. Readying for a fight—DoD moving pieces into place. American Forces Press Service’s Jim Garamone reports, “More U.S. F-16 Fighting Falcons will deploy to Poland in the coming days and weeks, a Pentagon official said here [Monday]. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Polish Defense Minister Tomasz Siemoniak spoke [Sunday], and Siemoniak thanked the secretary for looking at options for basing . . . . ‘What we are doing is reassuring our allies that we are there for them,’ [Pentagon spokesman Col. Steve] Warren said. ‘This is an important time for us to make it crystal clear to all our allies and partners in the region that the United States of America stands by them.’ This is just one of the visible actions the United States has taken since the Russian incursion into Ukraine. The United States sent six more F-15C Eagle aircraft to beef up the air policing mission in the Baltics. In addition, the USS Truxton has been deployed to the Black Sea.”
3. Syria—terrorist training ground. Also from NYT, Isabel Kersher reports from Tel Aviv, “Hezbollah’s distracting and costly engagement in the Syrian civil war has offered some practical benefit to Israelis. It has also been a source of foreboding. . . . Hezbollah is also acquiring battlefield experience, and the only way for Mr. Assad, a longtime Hezbollah ally, to repay the group is by supplying it with sophisticated weapons, according to Israeli military officials and experts — strengths that could eventually be used against Israel.” See also, the enemy of my enemy is my friend, they say.
4. Old news—Afghanistan’s “$3 trillion” in gems. Khaama.Com reports, “Afghanistan is estimated to have $3 trillion worth of mineral deposits, which through years of insecurity have remained unexploited. Gold, iron ore, copper ore, emeralds, lapis, rubies as well as natural gas are all found in the north of the country. Now with help from advisors from the US Task Force for Business and Stability Operations (TFBSO), the Afghanistan Geological Survey is gaining the skills it needs to explore and exploit the country’s resources. Geologists and drillers are being trained to investigate sites to test for the presence of resources. . . . And if Afghanistan’s security does improve, the Afghan government will be first in line to exploit the nearly 3 trillion dollars of resources lying in its hills and mountains. It’s hoped that the mining sector could become one of the Afghan economy’s strongest assets.”
5. Military Sex Assault—no more Sgt. Good Soldier. StarTribune.Com cover’s AP’s story, “The Senate overwhelmingly approved a bill late Monday making big changes in the military justice system to deal with sexual assault, including scrapping the nearly century-old practice of using a ‘good soldier defense’ to raise doubts that a crime has been committed. On a vote of 97-0, the Senate rallied behind a bipartisan plan crafted by three female senators — Democrat Claire McCaskill of Missouri and Republicans Kelly Ayotte of New Hampshire and Deb Fischer of Nebraska — that would impose a half-dozen changes to combat the pervasive problem of rape and sexual offenses that Pentagon leaders have likened to a cancer within the ranks.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Littoral Combat Ship shift. AviationWeek.Com’s Michael Fabey reports, “While the Pentagon rethinks and restructures its Littoral Combat Ship (LCS), the U.S. has agreed to help Japan develop its own coastal warship with similar attributes. Recent Pentagon guidance directs the U.S. Navy to halt negotiations for any more LCS contracts less than halfway through the service’s proposed 52-ship buy, as the Defense Department reviews other options to make the vessels more lethal and survivable. The headquarters for U.S. Forces in Japan confirms that the two countries will collaborate on a littoral warship. The initiative was first revealed in a statement from the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs. . . . The prime contractor for one of the LCS industry teams in the U.S., Lockheed Martin, said it knew nothing of the agreement. Austal USA, the lead of the other team, did not reply to a request for comment.”
2. $1 billion (so far)—SAIC and SRA International. FederalTimes.Com’s Nicole Blake Johnson reports, “Nearly $1 billion has flowed through the General Services Administration’s government wide contracts this year, with SAIC and SRA International among the companies receiving the bulk of that business. . . . SAIC, SRA International and Lockheed Martin have seen the largest share of business under the GWACS this year. GSA provides contract spending data through its Governmentwide Acquisition Contract Dashboards, which aggregate nonclassified data on federal information technology spending dating back to 2004.The dashboards can be accessed through www.gsa.gov.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Tuesday’s test—uncharted ground for nominated NSA Chief. New York Times’ David E. Sanger reports, “The man chosen by Mr. Obama to navigate this bureaucratic, political and public relations disaster is Vice Adm. Michael S. Rogers, who on Tuesday will face members of the Senate at his confirmation hearing, an event not likely to be accompanied by the thunderous applause that greeted Mr. Snowden in Texas. Friends of Admiral Rogers in the intelligence community, who have worked with him in his current job running the Navy’s Fleet Cyber Command, say they wonder whether he has a sense of what he is wading into.”
2. Snowden: I’m vindicated. Reuters’ Jon Herskovitz reports, “Former security contractor Edward Snowden, addressing a sympathetic crowd at a tech-heavy event in Austin, Texas, on Monday from a secret location in Russia, said proposed reforms at the National Security Agency show that he was vindicated in leaking classified material. Snowden, who faces arrest if he steps foot on U.S. soil, spoke via a video link to a packed house at the annual South by Southwest (SXSW) gathering of tech industry experts, filmmakers and musicians. He said the U.S. government still has no idea what material he has provided to journalists.”
3. Drone deliberations. AP’s Michelle L. Price reports, “Law enforcement, government agencies and others are itching to use drones for everything from finding lost hikers to tracking shifting wildfires. But privacy watchdogs are urging state legislatures to step in and head off any potential privacy violations. That tension is on display as more than 35 states consider drone legislation this year, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. The bills include ways to attract an industry that could generate billions and restrictions on drone use and data collection.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. The friendly audience: “Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) is heading to a major traditional liberal stomping ground to protest government surveillance. The Kentucky senator is planning to deliver a speech about National Security Agency (NSA) overreach at the University of California, Berkeley, next Wednesday, according to a notice on the school’s website. ‘Senator Paul will discuss domestic security, the NSA’s collection of telephone metadata, and public debate regarding privacy and its constitutional implications’ . . . . The Tea Party darling has been one of the most vocal critics of the NSA in Congress. Last month, he filed a class-action lawsuit against the spy agency along with Ken Cuccinelli, the former Republican nominee in Virginia’s gubernatorial race, claiming that its collection of information about millions of Americans’ phone calls violates the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution.”
2. Vast Right Wing Conspiracy: “If you are not familiar with the lurid particulars of the past claims about the Clintons, just wait. As 2016 draws closer, the right wing will provide a refresher course for you. In fact, it is starting already. In case you haven’t heard, Hillary Clinton may have a secret, terrible illness that will prevent her from running for president in 2016. Rush Limbaugh, The Daily Caller, Matt Drudge and Roger Stone, often described as a ‘self-admitted GOP hit man,’ have spread the rumor. On Feb. 24 of this year, Stone, who now says he is a Libertarian, tweeted: ‘@HillaryClinton not running for health reasons. Remember you heard it first from the #StoneZone.’”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “The intelligent citizen.” Aljazeera.Com contributor John Bell argues, “Political crises around the world are casting doubt on representative democracy and the Western model of government. A quarter century after the demise of the Soviet Union, and declarations about the inevitability of liberal democracies, that paradigm is under serious threat. From the economic crises in Europe, to revolutions in the Arab world and beyond, a shadow has been cast on the efficacy of Western systems.”
2. “European leaders show their weakness.” Reuters contributor Nicholas Wapshott argues, “The European leaders, in particular Merkel, the de facto head of the EU, who was brought up in communist East Germany and understands the full horror of Russian oppression, have . . . shown themselves weak and short- sighted. The statesmanship so needed in a time of crisis is conspicuously missing from those who govern the EU today. Their incompetence, however, comes as no surprise.”
3. “How Obama Can Hold Back Russia and Reassure Europe.” DefenseOne.Com contributor Barry Pavel argues, “As desirable as it would be to convince Russia to withdraw its forces from Crimea, the United States has little leverage for doing so. However, the U.S. can effectively deter the much more threatening, potential Russian action that would greatly affect U.S. security interests: a Russian invasion of eastern Ukraine.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Bathroom humor.
2. Crimea as a hose.
3. Gym smack.
