This just in . . . .

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1.  Interagency communication—more bang for the training buck. Contributor Jillian Hamilton explains, “It is not uncommon for agencies to operate in a vacuum. It seems like such a simple solution to have leaders conversing with one another about shared resources; however, the reality is that for those in the middle of everything, interagency collaboration feels improbable. In regards to training, OPM can facilitate interagency interaction simply by sharing best practices and lessons learned.”

2.  Cybersecurity recruiting—the talent competition. Also from Jillian Hamilton, “Make things as easy as possible for your most in-demand fields. When it comes to in-demand positions, like cybersecurity, it is time to scrutinize all the elements of the procedure. One way to compete is to be smarter and more efficient in the hiring process.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1.  Drones and MiGs kill 55 in Yemen. Aljazeera.Com reports, “Yemen’s interior ministry says 55 members of al-Qaeda have been killed in what has been described as an ‘unprecedented’ joint aerial campaign with the US that targeted a training camp operated by the group in the country’s south. . . . The operation, which ran from Sunday into Monday targeted a sprawling al-Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) training camp in the rugged mountains of Mahfad between Abyan, Shabwa and al-Bayda provinces. . . . The top official said Yemeni MiG-29 jet fighters took part in the raids.” Related, see LongWarJournal.Org’s “Zawahiri discusses infighting in Syria, opposition to Egyptian government.”

2.  Chinese chess. AP’s Elaine Kurtenbach reports from Tokyo, “President Barack Obama’s travels through Asia in coming days aim to reassure partners about the renewed U.S. commitment to the region, with an eye both to China’s rising assertiveness and the fast-growing markets that are the center of gravity for global growth. The question: Will it be enough?”  See also, North Korean nukes heating up.

3.  Ukraine unraveling. Reuters’ Richard Balmforth and Alexsandar Vasovic report from Kiev, “An international agreement to avert wider conflict in Ukraine was faltering on Monday, with pro-Moscow separatist gunmen showing no sign of surrendering government buildings they have seized. U.S. and European officials say they will hold Moscow responsible and impose new economic sanctions if the separatists do not clear out of government buildings they have occupied across swathes of eastern Ukraine over the past two weeks.” See also, “U.S. Gives Russia ‘Days’ to De-escalate Tensions in Ukraine.”

4.  Future threats—an Air Force argument. DefenseOne.Com’s Robert Spalding reports, “The year 2023 is not that far away, and the Air Force has been on a procurement holiday for decades as F-35 delays continue and a modern bomber remains years away. Meanwhile, China has created the great wall of ballistic missiles. North Korea has advanced their ballistic missiles and nuclear technology. Both trends are pushing U.S. forces farther away from the fight. The problem is that bombers are a mix of old (B-2), older (B-1) and oldest (B-52); the B-52s having been built in 1960.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1.  Future funding fight—tech’s the word. DefenseNews.Com’s Zachary Fryer-Biggs reports, “Overall, DoD wants to keep spending on RDT&E — research, development, test and evaluation — relatively close to the $63 billion the department will spend in 2014. That’s about $36 billion less than the amount that will be spent on procurement in 2014. But under the president’s 2015 budget proposal, that gap would close to about $26 billion next year, according to data compiled by VisualDoD.com. As pressure increases on defense spending, leaders are trying to protect research and development funding.”

2.  Expanding cyber-market presence. GovConWire.Com reports, “Parsons Corp. has acquired Secure Mission Solutions from Riordan, Lewis & Haden Equity Partners for an undisclosed amount in a move to expand Parsons’ cybersecurity market presence. Secure Mission Solutions will be integrated into Parsons’ government services business unit that is led by Mary Ann Hopkins, Parsons said Friday. Chuck Harrington, Parsons chairman and CEO, said the acquisition is part of the company’s efforts to grow its national security and defense offerings for new and existing clients.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1.  Mesh Networks—get it? VentureBeat.Com’s Barry Levine reports, “Once, the Internet was the paradigm of decentralized, anonymous, citizen-based, secure communication. Now, mesh networks are being touted for that role. Mesh networks are small, standalone communications exchanges that rely on phones (or other devices) talking directly to each other, with their range sometimes amplified through line-of-sight routers or other extenders. These hyper-local area networks can have a link to the outside Internet, but they don’t always need it to accomplish their central aims: local communications in spite of natural disaster or political suppression.”

2.  Clapper clamps down on media access. C4ISRNet.Com’s Amber Corrin reports, “As part of a crackdown on government leaks and unauthorized disclosures, Director of National Intelligence James Clapper has prohibited intelligence community officials from engaging in unapproved contact with members of the media. . . . Officials also are required to report any unplanned or unintentional contact with journalists if the contact involved any ‘covered matters,’ including intelligence sources, methods, activities and judgments. The directive does not differentiate between classified and unclassified information.”

3.  Espionage hacking growing. Reuters’ Joseph Menn reports, “Hacking for espionage purposes is sharply increasing, with groups or national governments from Eastern Europe playing a growing role, according to one of the most comprehensive annual studies of computer intrusions. Spying intrusions traced back to any country in 2013 were blamed on residents of China and other East Asian nations 49 percent of the time, but Eastern European countries, especially Russian-speaking nations, were the suspected launching site for 21 percent of breaches, Verizon Communications Inc’s said in its annual Data Breach Investigations Report.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1.  Baby battle royal: “Politically speaking, two Bushes have been president to one Clinton, but when it came to the media’s cheering of baby news from former first daughters Jenna Bush and Chelsea Clinton, it was Clinton who was declared American royalty. A Media Research Center study for this week’s Mainstream Media Scream found that the Big Three nightly network broadcasts gave Bush a combined 33 seconds for her happy news to Clinton’s four minutes, 32 seconds. And the morning news shows gushed over Clinton, seeing ‘royalty’ in the new grandchild to Bill and Hillary Clinton.”

2.  So, get back to church: “Political veterans, congressional aides, former administration officials and longtime journalists all attested to the Sunday shows’ decline. The programs are no longer the agenda-setting platforms of days past . . . . the broadcasts have become a venue for lawmakers to push familiar talking points and for talking heads to exchange conventional wisdom. Occasionally there is an interview or discussion that will make headlines—Vice President Joe Biden’s endorsement of gay marriage, which preceded President Barack Obama’s own announcement, comes to mind. But that has become the exception rather than the rule. Not surprisingly, the few who adamantly insist that the programs are relevant are the hosts and producers.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1.  “The top spook’s stupid gag order.” Reuters contributor Jack Shafer argues, “Directive 119 might make sense if the administration could point to a pattern of unauthorized discussions that has done lasting damage to national security. But that it does not do. Instead, it tightens the circle. And it feeds us all another helping of dung.”

2.  “Cyberwars on the Korean Peninsula.” Aljazeera.Com contributor Michael Raska argues, “North Korea’s military has shifted its focus towards forms of asymmetric negation, probing any vulnerability in the US-ROK alliance in order to counter its qualitatively superior technological advantages. In addition to nuclear and ballistic missile programs, North Korea has been developing cyber-related offensive military capabilities. Computer network cyber operations, both offensive and defensive, coupled with information warfare strategies and tactics provide new types of ‘force multipliers’ for North Korea. They can be viewed as new ‘weapons of mass effectiveness.’”

3.  “Snowden plays pawn for Putin.” USAToday.Com contributor DeWayne Wickham argues, “Coming off of his cameo appearance in Russian President Valdimir Putin’s recently televised news conference, Edward Snowden’s biggest problem—it’s clear to me—is not how U.S. government officials view him. It is how he sees himself.”

3.  “This Is the No. 1 Thing That Holds Most People Back From Success.” Time contributor Eric Barker explains, “Highly skilled employees, with seemingly great value to their organizations, are let go every day because they are perceived to be a potential risk and cannot be trusted. Conversely, employees are being promoted who don’t have the best skills and may even have to be taught how to do the job, at great expense and time, because they appear to be in alignment and the company feels they can be trusted over others.”

THE FUNNIES

1.  Easter drone.

2.  Goodnight Europe.

3.  Boomerang  diplomacy.

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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.