FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Surviving drawdown in the IC. Editor Lindy Kyzer explains, “The [Intelligence Community] currently faces challenges on several fronts – declining budgets, a shifting workforce, and emerging challenges such as threat finance, big data and cybersecurity. The IC must embrace a strategic approach to workforce planning that matches the manpower with the mission.”
2. Jobs—for Cleared Veterans. Contributor Tranette Ledford reports, “Cleared veterans just now stepping into the uncharted territory of civilian second careers may want to take a look at some of most in-demand job skills currently listed by hiring managers. Having these on your resume, along with a security clearance, can boost your position in the long chain of applicants and also your earnings.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Summer terrorist training camp. LongWarJournal.Org’s Bill Roggio reports, “The Islamic State of Iraq and the Sham, the former al Qaeda branch that was disowned by Al Qaeda General Command, has announced the existence of the ‘Zarqawi Camp’ on the outskirts of the Syrian capital of Damascus. . . . The Zarqawi Camp is the fourth such camp disclosed by jihadist groups in Syria in the past two months. In mid-March, the Al Nusrah Front for the People of the Levant, al Qaeda’s branch in Syria, announced that it is running two training camps in Syria. . . . The ISIS, although not officially part of al Qaeda since its dispute with the Al Nusrah Front boiled over earlier this year, has still indicated that it seeks to conduct attacks against the United States and the West.”
2. CIA—closing the doors on Afghanistan. Khaama.Com reports, “The US intelligence officials have said CIA would shutter operations outside Kabul due to the steady pullout of U.S. military forces that normally provide protection and logistical support for the network of intelligence-gathering outposts, which often are hidden inside U.S. military bases. CIA will remove all its case officers and analysts as well as National Security Agency specialists responsible for intercepting insurgent phone calls and other communications, a rich source of daily intelligence.”
3. $600 billion, and keep your A-10s. DefenseNews.Com’s John T. Bennett reports, “The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) early Thursday unanimously approved a measure that would authorize just over $600 billion in 2015 US defense spending and block plans to retire the A-10 attack plane. After a marathon markup session, the committee easily approved its version of the 2015 National Defense Authorization Act that includes a $495.8 billion base Pentagon budget level and $79.4 billion more for an overseas contingency operations (OCO) budget.” Also, “1.8 percent pay raise for troops.”
4. Putin—in over his head. Christian Science Monitor’s Howard LaFranchi reports, “What came across Wednesday as Russian President Vladimir Putin standing down on Ukraine was, just a day later, looking much more like Mr. Putin once again manipulating the Ukrainian crisis to his liking. . . . But Putin knows as well as anyone else that Russia’s goal of re-exerting its power and influence over Ukraine and ‘the former Soviet space’ can only be achieved with the backing of a robust and growing Russian economy – not one hobbled by debilitating Western sanctions . . . .”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Turkey’s F-35s—on target. Janes.Com’s Lale Sariibrahimoglu reports from Ankara, “Turkey has recommitted to the purchase of an initial two Lockheed Martin F-35A Lightning II Joint Strike Fighter (JSF) aircraft . . . . Turkey initially ordered two aircraft in January 2012, before postponing this purchase a year later, citing delays and cost growth within the F-35 programme. Reportedly there were also issues with technology transfer on the integration of locally developed weapons systems, which have now been resolved.”
2. Unleash the UAVs. DefenseNews.Com’s Aaron Mehta reports, “If the US does not change limitations on the exportability of unmanned systems, it could drive partner nations to either build platforms domestically or purchase designs from countries like China, a panel of experts said today. Without a change in export policy, partners ‘will be incentivized to build them themselves, or they will simply buy them from others,’ Michael Horowitz, associate professor at the University of Pennsylvania, told the audience at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Boeing’s F-16 UAV. Janes.Com reports, “Boeing is working to convert F-16 fighter aircraft into fully-fledged unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for potential use by US armed forces . . . . The company has already converted the first six of 126 Lockheed Martin F-16 Fighting Falcons into optionally piloted QF-16 target drones for the US Air Force (USAF), but is looking to add improved datalinks to enable the QF-16 to fly as high and as far as conventional UAVs. This, say company officials, will open the door to future roles in surveillance and close air support.”
2. Big in Silicon Valley. AP’s Jim Kuhnhenn reports, “Silicon Valley recoils at the government’s cyber data-gathering done in the name of national security. It bristles at new potential Internet rules. Its fast-paced ethos doesn’t understand Washington’s gridlock. Yet, President Barack Obama remains a popular political figure in Silicon Valley, and the wealthy tech entrepreneurs appear willing to part with their money to support the Democratic Party, especially if the president is making the pitch.” Big in Japan.
3. New nanotube chem suits. DefenseOne.Com reports, “U.S. researchers have developed a fabric containing carbon nanotubes that—if used in clothing—could protect its wearer against deadly nerve agent. Scientists at the National Institute of Standards and Technology engineered the nanotubes—described as ‘special molecules that resemble cylinders formed of chicken wire’—to hold a copper-based catalyst. The catalyst breaks down a key chemical bond in nerve agents, such as sarin, and using nanotubes enhances that process . . . .”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Service and sacrifice: “Rep. Devin Nunes has removed his name from consideration for an appointment to the select committee charged with investigating the Sept. 11, 2012, terrorist attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, Libya, that left four Americans dead. . . . Nunes informed House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, personally on Wednesday that he was concerned that the select committee’s work could bleed into next year and jeopardize his chances of becoming Intelligence Committee chairman in 2015, when the position becomes vacant.”
2. Showing me the money: “The Koch brothers’ main political arm intends to spend more than $125 million this year on an aggressive ground, air and data operation benefiting conservatives, according to a memo distributed to major donors and sources familiar with the group. The projected budget for Americans for Prosperity would be unprecedented for a private political group in a midterm, and would likely rival even the spending of the Republican and Democratic parties’ congressional campaign arms.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “How Dumb Policies Scare Tech Giants Away From Federal Projects.” Wired.Com contributor Bill Greenwalt argues, “The current strained fiscal environment demands that the federal government move away from a process-driven acquisition system if it is ever going to access the cost saving opportunities and innovative solutions that have arisen in the commercial market. A system that only works by going around it is not a workable system and should be dismantled. If there is only one valuable lesson to be learned from the HealthCare.gov debacle, that would be a valuable one indeed.”
2. “How to loosen Boko Haram’s hold on Nigeria.” Christian Science Monitor contributor Katrina Lantos Swett argues, “As Nigeria observes its national centennial, its government has a job to do: Enforce rule of law to defeat anarchy and ensure that every Nigerian’s right to religious practice is protected equally under the law. But there is an equally formidable task ahead – reconciliation. For Nigeria’s sake, both efforts must proceed. And both efforts must receive greater support from the US to do so.”
3. “A Sharp and Silent Drop in American Entrepreneurs.” USNews.Com contributor Jean Card argues, “A Google News search for this week’s alarming study from the Brookings Institution on the decline of business dynamism in the U.S. yields a mere half-dozen results, making it like the proverbial tree falling in the forest. The study is a big deal. It should make a huge amount of noise. Its economic implications are staggering. But no one appears to be listening.”
THE FUNNIES
1. Godzilla.
2. Eyes wide shut.
