FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Fed job hiring bounce. Contributor Jillian Hamilton reports, “Despite the Defense Department’s plans to trim its workforce a little in 2016 to keep up with the changing times, the agency wants to hire 20,600 employees in 2015. The Department of Homeland Security is also looking to add 3,800 jobs in fiscal year 2015. Other agencies that are expecting growth in 2015 are the Veterans Administration, the Justice Department, the Agriculture Department, and the Health and Human Services Department. . . . For cleared, cyber professionals or those with a mental health background, now may be the time to check out the federal government and take advantage of the increase in demand.”
2. First impressions. Editor Lindy Kyzer offers, “The purpose of a status message on an online profile is to reveal your personality. Striking the right blend of personality and professional will look a little different for everyone, so don’t be afraid to change it up a bit. The main thing is to post something!”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. Profiles in desertion. New York Magazine’s Wil S. Hylton reports, “It is difficult to remember, and tempting to forget, the American enthusiasm for war in 2003—the fervid certainty of the Bush administration, the whooping consent of Congress, and the ready endorsement of an American majority long divorced from combat. Six weeks into the Iraq invasion, public support hovered near 80 percent. For the men and women tasked with fighting, those were galvanizing times. . . . Between 2003 and 2006, more than 20,000 American soldiers and Marines abandoned their posts.”
2. ISIS in Afghanistan. Khaama Press reports, “After setting the historical shrines of Logar province of Afghanistan on fire on Saturday February 21st, 2015, the ISIL militants also killed one civilian and replaced the Taliban’s white flag with their own black flag in the Charkh district. On the same day, the ISIL men entered locals’ houses, broke their televisions and warn people not to watching television anymore (Tolonews). The ISIL affiliated group claimed the responsibility and asked Talibans militants in the Province to declare their allegiance to Al-Baghdadi, the Caliph of Islamic States of Iraq and the Levant.”
3. ISIS recruits arrested. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “Three New Yorkers were arrested yesterday on terrorism charges after they attempted to join Islamic State (ISIS) militants in Syria, federal authorities said. Two of the men are Uzbek citizens, and one is a Kazakh. The three men also had domestic terror plans, which included plots to kill FBI agents, plant a bomb at Coney Island, and kill President Obama — ‘if ordered by ISIS.’” See also, “Islamic State territory: Easy to slip in, harder to get out” and “Islamic State in Syria has abducted 220 from Christian villages this week.”
4. War powers debate. Defense One’s Molly O’Toole reports, “Ask three of President Barack Obama’s top officials in the Islamic State fight what war powers he has asked for from Congress, and you’ll get three different answers. There is only one explicit limitation to the president’s power to wage war against ISIS that is offered in the White House’s draft authorization for the use of military force, or AUMF: that it ‘does not authorize the use of the United States Armed Forces in enduring offensive ground combat operations.’ The chances of Congress authorizing the war against the Islamic State largely hinge on the phrase.”
5. Attacking sequestration. Defense Media Activity’s Terri Moon Cronk reports, “The Air Force’s readiness edge could slip away if sequestration is not lifted permanently, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James told members of a Senate panel at a fiscal year 2016 defense appropriations hearing . . . . Appearing with Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, James said sequestration ‘threatens everything’ if the law to force budget cuts is not lifted. The Air Force is under duress, James told the panel.” See also, “Army Secretary Details Sequestration Dangers.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. Elbit Systems of America’s $13 million deal. Military & Aerospace Electronics’ Editor John Keller reports, “Military avionics experts at Elbit Systems of America in Fort Worth, Texas, will provide 300 integrated situational-awareness and targeting helmets for AH-64E Apache Guardian attack helicopter pilots of the government of Indonesia. Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., announced a $13.2 million contract to Elbit earlier this month to provide 300 Apache Aviator Integrated Helmets (AAIH) for foreign military sales to Indonesia.”
2. Study in growth: contracting at Health and Human Services. Federal Times’ Editor Steve Watkins reports, “Paul Bartley has been running the Health and Human Services Department’s shared services program, the Program Support Center (PSC), since 2007. The PSC has grown by roughly 10-percent annually to what is a $700 million operation of about 3,000 contractor and federal staff that provide 44 services, including acquisition and grant-related support, commuter benefits administration, health clinic staffing, publishing, financial management support and facilities maintenance, among other things.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Hijacked: ransomware proliferation. Christian Science Monitor contributor Fahmida Y. Rashid reports, “Security experts say that the scourge of ransomware, malware that seizes data until targets pay up within a certain time frame, is spreading fast. One of the most common varieties known as CryptoWall has hit at least 1 million victims and collected about $1.8 million in ransom, according to Dell Secureworks, the cybersecurity arm of Dell Inc.”
2. The robot effect. Quartz’ Mike Murphy reports, “A new study published this month by the US National Bureau of Economic Research explores various scenarios for an economy increasingly powered by robots, and none of them look great for human workers. The basic situation they predict is bleak: As robots perform more efficiently than humans, businesses invest in robots that can cut workforce costs. The constant need for new technology leads to increased tech salaries and costs of services. That tech boom, the authors argue, will eventually cause its own bust.”
3. Technology and peacekeeping. FierceGovernmentIT’s Dibya Sakar reports, “United Nations peacekeeping missions are ‘well behind the curve’ when it comes to using technology to establish situational awareness, carry out mandates and protect themselves, finds a new report from an expert U.N. panel that examined the issue. . . . The panel said certain principles should guide the U.N. in acquiring and using technology. They include using widely available, but not proprietary, technologies that can be relatively easy to maintain and prioritizing mobility in terms of maneuverability of assets and mobile IT platforms, among others.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Dancing around the NSA: “Hillary Clinton is almost certain to launch a bid for the presidency. But at least for now, she’s determined to keep the public guessing about her stance on NSA spying. As Edward Snowden’s revelations forced the issue to the fore of national debate, she kept mum, even as other prospective candidates staked out positions. . . . She served in the United States Senate from 2001 to 2009. She cast votes that enabled the very NSA spying that many now regard as a betrayal. And she knew all about what the NSA wasn’t telling the public.”
2. Shutdown countdown: “The Senate vote on Wednesday to begin debate on a $40 billion Homeland Security funding bill ended weeks of gridlock over the measure, but the threat of a department shutdown is not over. The Senate is expected to approve the funding measure quickly, but it faces deep opposition in the House, where the significant faction of conservative Republicans have threatened to vote against it. Their opposition is running up against a critical deadline. A stopgap measure that has kept Homeland Security running will expire on Feb. 27. Conservatives say they are not concerned with the deadline and will vote against the Senate deal.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. “The Weapons of Tomorrow Must Come Cheaper, Faster and Simpler Than Before.” Defense One contributor Dan Ward argues, “Instead of trying to build silver bullets for the future, policymakers and industry must become better at responding to the unpredictable.”
2. “Get over it: There’s no better deal coming on Iran’s nuclear program.” Reuters contributor Paul R. Pillar argues, “The best chance to ensure that Iran’s nuclear program remains peaceful is imperiled because of mistaken notions about what real alternatives the West has.”
3. “One last chance to save the Internet — from the FCC.” Reuters contributor Ev Ehrlich argues, “By working with Republican majority to enact a net-neutrality law now, Democrats have an opportunity to set rules for a fair, open and competitive Internet well into the future. Congress can do this in a way that does everything that Obama and the Federal Communications Commission want to do without the risk and delay.” See also, “FCC vote won’t end net neutrality fight” and “Historic vote set for Internet rules.”
THE FUNNIES
2. It might work.
3. Middle East.
