Tuesday’s Top Ten & California Chrome breathes easy.

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1.  Master the transition. Editor Lindy Kyzer puts the 411 at your fingertips: “Transitioning from a military career to a civilian one? Here is a round-up of some of our top military transition articles, published within the last year. Read on to learn about top cities, top skills, and other need-to-know news. For more details on transitioning, check out our Veteran Career Guide.”

2.  Know where to go. Also from Lindy Kyzer: “Have security clearance – will travel? Relocation isn’t an option for everyone, but if you expand your geographic horizons, you’ll find your job opportunities open up, as well.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1.  Civil war in Libya. Aljazeera.Com reports, “Militias from Zintan, where rebel fighters rose to prominence after getting hold of a large number of weapons during the uprising in 2011, launched an offensive against the Islamist-led militias in Tripoli. The move was a show of support for Colonel Khalifa Heftar, who launched a military operation named ‘Libya Dignity’ against Islamist militias in the eastern city of Benghazi in early May. ‘The Libyan people’s support for the operation does not mean they support Heftar . . . . Libyans are looking for someone to guide and save them and it does not matter who that is.’”  U.S. ready to evacuate Embassy in Tripoli.

2.  Thailand unraveling? Reuters’ Amy Sawitta Lefevre reports from Bangkok, “Thailand’s army declared martial law nationwide on Tuesday to restore order after six months of street protests that have left the country without a proper functioning government, but denied that the surprise move amounted to a military coup. While troops patrolled parts of Bangkok, the caretaker government led by supporters of self-exiled former premier Thaksin Shinawatra was still in office . . . . Army chief General Prayuth Chan-ocha said the military was taking charge of public security because of violent protests that had claimed lives and caused damage.”

3.  CJCS Dempsey sends off VMI graduates. American Forces Press Service’s Jim Garamone reports, “The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff tied his May 16 commencement address at the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington to the Battle of New Market that occurred exactly 150 years ago during the Civil War. On May 16, 1864, 257 young VMI students stood alongside combat veterans at Bushong’s Farm facing Union forces. At the order they crossed a fence line and charged through a wheat field at the Union line. Ten of the young men were killed and 84 wounded. . . . A total of 143 VMI graduates were commissioned into the U.S. military, and they are poised—like the group in 1864—to face new challenges and dangers.”

4.  Budget brakes on SOCOM spending. DefenseNews.Com’s Marcus Weisgerber reports, “The Pentagon still plans to increase funding for special operations equipment in the coming years, but after years of plus-ups, that trend is expected to flatten. . . . SOCOM’s procurement budget soared as the war on terrorism heated up, rising from $525 million in 2001 to a high of $2.1 billion in 2012, a 309 percent increase. This year, the command is slated to spend $1.6 billion on procurement. The command has grown over the years to about 64,000 forces. That will increase to about 69,000 in the coming years.”

5.  1.8 percent pay raise on the table. NextGov.Com’s Kellie Lunney reports, “The House this week will vote on legislation that tacitly approves a 1.8 percent pay raise for service members next year. The chamber takes up the fiscal 2015 National Defense Authorization Act beginning Tuesday, with a final vote expected on Thursday before the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1.  Next Rung on the ladder—GSA head ascends to White House. GovExec.Com’s Charles S. Clark reports, “General Services Administration has announced that its top acquisition policy officer will become a senior adviser at the White House, possibly a step toward filling the vacant post of administrator of the Office of Federal Procurement Policy. . . . ‘Anne Rung, associate administrator of the Office of Governmentwide Policy, will be heading to the White House Office of Management and Budget as a senior adviser.’ . . . Rung took the reins of GSA’s governmentwide policy operations in August 2013, overseeing efforts at transparency, public access to information, acquisition policy, strategic sourcing, asset and transportation management, high-performance green buildings and information sharing.”

2.  OASIS awarded—$multi-billion-worth. FederalTimes.Com’s Andy Medici reports, “The General Services Administration has awarded its 10-year, multibillion dollar OASIS contract to 74 companies, according to an agency announcement. The companies include Accenture Federal Services, LLC., Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc., Boeing Service Company, Deloitte Consulting, LLP., Lockheed Martin Integrated Systems, Inc., Raytheon Company and others across six separate pools of contractors. OASIS is governmentwide acquisition contract that offers professional services, such as financial management and engineering, scientific and logistics services. OASIS also features separate contracts for small businesses and larger firms.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1.  Big Data—the way of the future. NextGov.Com’s Frank Konkel reports, “According to Gen. Keith Alexander, who retired in March after eight years as the director of the NSA, the world will produce some 3.5 zettabytes of information in 2014—enough to fill the hard drives of 3.5 billion high-end desktop computers. ‘We’re living in the age of big data and we have to figure out how to harness it . . . . That’s what the future is going to be about . . . .’”

2.  Shanghaied, literally. AP’s Joe McDonald reports, “China announced it was suspending cooperation with the United States in a joint cybersecurity task force over Monday’s charges that officers stole trade secrets from major American companies. The Foreign Ministry demanded Washington withdraw the indictment. The testy exchange marked an escalation in tensions over U.S. complaints that China’s military uses its cyber warfare skills to steal foreign trade secrets to help the country’s vast state-owned industrial sector. A U.S. security firm, Mandiant, said last year it traced attacks on American and other companies to a military unit in Shanghai.”

3.  Antiquated acquisition threat. Reuters’ Andrea Shalal reports, “U.S. military experts on Monday said current acquisition rules hamper their ability to respond quickly to a growing number of cyber attacks against U.S. weapons and computer networks and new approaches are needed. Kristina Harrington, director of the signals intelligence directorate at the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), said acquisition programs typically take about two years to initiate and execute, but rapidly changing threats in the cyber domain require a different approach.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1.  What the peeple want: “The public is fed up with Washington candidates running for president and won’t tolerate a 2016 hopeful who doesn’t believe in God, according to a new Pew Research poll just out. Pew’s survey of 1,501 adults also shows that after five years with a president elected during his rookie term in the Senate, the public is now interested in electing a governor with executive experience. In February 2007, for example, 55 percent said a candidate from Congress was better qualified to be president. Some 24 percent said that of governors. Now they are even at 44 percent.”

2.  Indecision: “House Democrats still haven’t decided if they’ll participate in the GOP-led select committee to investigate the Benghazi attacks of 2012, House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) told a small group of reporters in his Capitol office on Monday. The No. 2 House Democrat spoke out against a limited participation proposal, floated publicly by some members of the party, to send just one Democrat to the committee to gather documents and monitor the probe but not fully take part. . . . Democrats want an equal opportunities to call up witnesses, equal access to all documents submitted by the administration and a ‘full and fair opportunity’ to have their lawmakers and counsel cross-examine witnesses.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1.  “Africa’s best response to Boko Haram.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “Nigeria must now rapidly make up for this neglect by deploying economic resources to its poorest region. Its most successful domestic investor, Dangote, has put money into this prospect. The government of President Goodluck Jonathan must follow. Sending more troops is not the best answer.”

2.  “Leave Ballistic Missiles Out of the Iran Nuclear Talks.” DefenseOne.Com contributor Greg Thielmann argues, “The best way at the moment to address Iran’s potential to exploit nuclear capable missiles is to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program is sufficiently limited and transparent that missile limits become unnecessary.”

3.  “India Ushers in a New Era.” USNews.Com contributor Hemal Shah argues, “Transcending historical nostalgia for the Congress party—leader of India’s struggle for independence—voters punished a decade of dismal economic growth, corruption and poor governance under its tenure. . . . The U.S. should cash on the change coming to India.”

THE FUNNIES

1.  Vladzilla.

2.  Help wanted?

3.  Welcome to the world.

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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.