FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Intelligence analyst analysis. Contributor Jillian Hamilton explains, “Given that analysts could be assigned a region such as East Asia or a topic such as weapons of mass destruction, educational backgrounds can be very diverse. While many analysts may have studied political science and international relations, others are engineers, history majors, or journalism majors. Technical subjects, such as chemistry, nuclear physics, biology, and computer science will always be in demand, as expertise in these areas can help our country prepare for serious weapon threats.”
2. Recruiting Veterans right. Also from Jillian Hamilton, “Veterans leave service with a wide range of skills and education. Military experience makes veterans a great asset to your company, particularly if you do work with the Department of Defense. In addition to practical skills, military values are often cited as a key benefit of hiring veterans. And in case you needed more reasons, below are just a few of the attributes they bring to the table . . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Russian provocation. Washington Post’s Michael Birnbaum reports from Moscow, “The aircraft — at least 19 in all — offered reminders of Russian air power at a time of the worst relations between the West and Russia since the Cold War. Russian military aircraft have significantly increased their activity in Europe since the conflict in Ukraine began earlier this year, with NATO scrambling to intercept aircraft more than 100 times in 2014. But a NATO official said the scale of the latest incidents was the most provocative this year.”
2. Sweden pokes Israeli in the eye. Aljazeera.Com reports, “Sweden has officially recognised the state of Palestine, Stockholm’s foreign minister has said, less than a month after the government announced its intention to make the unprecedented move. The Palestinians cheered Thursday’s move, while Israel recalled its ambassador to Sweden for consultations. Israel also summoned Sweden’s ambassador to protest and express disappointment.”
3. Ebola soldiers. Christian Science Monitor’s Anna Mulrine reports, “While the Pentagon’s top officers recommended the quarantine, the policy wasn’t official until Secretary Hagel signed an order Wednesday. The order puts all US military servicemembers returning from Ebola-related activities in West Africa into quarantine. The quarantine – which could affect some 4,000 American service members – runs counter to the recommendations of the Centers for Disease Control and other public health officials.” See also, “Soldier or Civilian, Ebola Protocols Not the Same.” 4. Bold Alligators and Choctaw County. Washington Post’s Dan Lamothe reports, “The Navy and Marine Corps will launch exercise Bold Alligator 2014 on Saturday, focusing not only on conventional amphibious operations, but cutting-edge concepts including the use of a drone submarine and the deployment of Special Operations troops from one of the Pentagon’s newest kinds of ships.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. $11 billion health record bids coming in. NextGov.Com’s Bob Brewin reports, “Four commercial vendors will submit proposals Friday for the Defense Department’s $11 billion electronic health record system contract. But the Department of Veterans Affairs has backed off an idea floated by former VA Secretary Eric Shinseki to enter a new version of its own longstanding EHR system into the competition. Teams bidding on the Pentagon’s EHR system–formally known as the Defense Healthcare Management System Modernization–are . . . .”
2. Acquisition gateway. FederalTimes.Com’s Aaron Boyd reports, “Making good purchasing decisions has always been important. But as budgets tighten and products and services become more complex, the Federal Acquisition Service (FAS) is piloting a new Acquisition Gateway designed to compile options and expert advice for purchasing managers.”
3. VA looking for a few good images. Also from Bob Brewin at NextGov.Com, “The Department of Veterans Affairs wants to acquire a new medical imaging system based on commercial standards and wants to hear from interested vendors by Monday.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Nation-state cyber conflict. FierceGovernmentIT.Com’ Molly Bernhart Walker reports, “Low-intensity, Internet-enabled conflicts between nation states will become the rule, not the exception according to a report issued Oct. 29 during Georgia Tech’s Cybersecurity Summit. ‘Nation-states and government-sponsored groups have adopted online tactics to complement their real-world strategies’ . . . For example, the attack on Hong Kong citizens highlights how governments are using programs once only associated with hackers and cybercriminals . . . .” Read Georgia Tech’s report.
2. Third Offset—new defense thinking. AviationWeek.Com’s Bill Sweetman reports, “Today’s U.S. power-projection forces, and those currently planned for the future, will not be able to operate effectively or efficiently against anti-access/area-denial (A2AD) weapons and doctrine being developed by China and other adversaries, according to a new report by the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments (CSBA) that details a new approach to defense strategy known as Third Offset.”
3. Real zombies! Wired.Com’s Matt Simon shares, “If you plan on going as a zombie for Halloween, I hate to break it to you but your costume is wildly inadequate. You don’t even have to show me, because I know that out in nature there are real-life zombies far more creatively horrifying than anything the human mind could ever muster.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Spooky: “Republican momentum is spooking a growing number of Democratic incumbents wary of becoming surprise casualties on Election Day. Although House Democrats have long-expected to lose seats next Tuesday, President Obama’s low approval ratings–combined with widespread jitters over the economy, foreign conflicts and the threat of Ebola–have darkened their outlook in a number of battleground districts down the final stretch.”
2. Horrifying Hagel: “Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel declined Thursday to directly address reports of differences with the White House on Syria strategy, saying ‘we are constantly assessing and reassessing and adapting’ to deal with what he repeatedly called a complex foreign policy problem. ‘We owe the president and we owe the National Security Council our best thinking on this,’ and that advice has to be candid and direct, Hagel told reporters at the Pentagon. Hagel sent ‘a sharply critical two-page memo’ last week to National Security Adviser Susan Rice ‘in which he warned that the administration’s Syria policy was in danger of unraveling because of its failure to clarify its intentions toward President Bashar al-Assad’ . . . .”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “The Cold War and the Cold Shoulder for Russia.” The Moscow Times contributor Ghia Nodia argues, “Ultimately, the Russian people will decide for themselves what constitutes a defeat. If Putin is able to portray his attack on Ukraine as a success, Russia will continue to bully and posture on the international stage. But if Russians come to believe that Ukraine was a misadventure, a very different country could emerge.”
2. “Ukraine can cleanse its past, heal its future.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “Ukrainians are correct to deter corruption and dictatorship through punishment and accountability. But justice will not be served without some mercy for individuals who truly repent with full disclosure. The best justice entails a healing of relationships that can lead to a restoration of a peaceful society.”
3. “The Secret History of the Middle East.” USNews.Com contributor Stephanie Mulder explains, “As the United States once again undertakes military action in the region, mindfulness of the current state of conflict should be tempered by knowledge of a much longer past marked by values shared between our cultures.”
THE FUNNIES
3. Trick and Treat.
