FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Security Clearance 101. Editor Lindy Kyzer explains, “Here’s a roundup of what you need to know, from security clearance levels, how security clearance determinations are made, and perhaps most importantly, what kinds of jobs are available. . . .”
Debt, loans, and clearances. Contributor and in-house counsel Sean Bigley advises, “No matter what the nature of your debt, the agency holding your security clearance will want to see that you have taken responsible actions to address it on your own volition – not just because your security clearance is now in jeopardy. Most importantly, the agency will want to see that you’ve learned from your mistakes and have recalibrated your life accordingly.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Cyberattacked. Reuters’ Matt Spetalnick and David Brunnstrom report, “Hackers broke into U.S. government computers, possibly compromising the personal data of 4 million current and former federal employees, and investigators were probing whether the culprits were based in China, U.S. officials said on Thursday. Cyber investigators linked the breach to earlier thefts of healthcare records from Anthem Inc, the second largest U.S. health insurer, and Premera Blue Cross, a healthcare services provider. In the latest in a string of intrusions into U.S. agencies’ high-tech systems, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) suffered what appeared to be one of the largest breaches of information ever on government workers. The office handles employee records and security clearances.”
Closing GITMO. Defense One’s Molly O’Toole reports, “After what he claims has been years of silence from the White House on Guantanamo, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., said Thursday that senior Obama administration officials finally are drafting a plan for closing the facility to be submitted to lawmakers. McCain spoke with President Barack Obama three weeks ago about closing the military prison and shortly after received two high-profile visitors in his office: Defense Secretary Ash Carter and Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism Lisa Monaco. . . . This week outside of closed doors and on the Senate floor, McCain is pushing for that bill’s passage, but the White House has threatened to veto it in part due to added provisions about the detention facility Obama officials say are too restrictive.”
Iraqi Army falling apart. The Economist reports, “Iraqi prime minister, Haider Abadi, faces many problems in fighting Islamic State (IS), but funding is among the biggest. The costs of war spiralled to an estimated $23 billion in 2015 even as oil prices, on which Iraq depends for the bulk of its revenues, have halved. In Paris on June 2nd for a meeting of his coalition partners, Mr Abadi said he had run out of cash for fresh arms contracts. Red tape compounds the problem, hampering deliveries of previous orders. A consignment from Russia had been stalled by sanctions against that country, Mr Abadi said. And while he says America has given him the nod to accept supplies from Iran, his request for a formal United Nations exemption from the Iran sanctions regime has not been met.”
ISIS takes on Taliban. Long War Journal’s Thomas Joscelyn reports, “The Islamic State’s so-called ‘Khorasan province’ threatened the Taliban in a video released late last month. . . . The speaker, citing the Prophet Mohammed, warns that there cannot be two caliphs. If one of the caliphs fulfills the appropriate criteria for being the ummah’s supposed leader — that is, the head of the worldwide community of Muslims — then the other must be vanquished, the speaker says. Although he doesn’t name Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Omar, the Islamic State’s man undoubtedly intended to evoke a comparison between Omar and Abu Bakr al Baghdadi, the Islamic State’s self-proclaimed ‘caliph.’ His speech, therefore, could be seen as a call to eliminate Omar.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Contract spending down. Government Executive’s Charles S. Clark reports, “Despite an overall hike in government spending in 2014, federal contract spending last year fell by $14.5 billion or 3.1 percent, according to the latest annual federal industry leaders study from Bloomberg Government . . . . But the good news for industry is that last year ‘may have represented the dawn of a new normal in the federal marketplace: contract spending was down following the drawdown in Afghanistan and Iraq, but greater budget certainties allowed greater planning and projections,’ the analysts noted.”
$1 billion for Lockheed jets. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “The U.S. military is placing orders worth nearly a billion dollars with Lockheed Martin Corp. to prepare for building 94 F-35 jet Lightning II joint strike fighter combat aircraft. The order involves conventional and vertical takeoff and landing versions, as well as carrier versions. Officials of the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command at Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Md. – the organization handling F-35 aviation technology procurement for all military forces – announced a $920.4 million contract late Thursday with the Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Aeronautics segment in Fort Worth, Texas, for long lead items involves with 94 F-35 aircraft.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Robots go west. Defense Systems’ Kevin McCaney reports, “After a nearly three-year process that saw big jumps in the size of the field, the degree of difficulty and the prize money, the much-anticipated DARPA Robotics Challenge takes the stage June 5-6 at Fairplex in Pomona, Calif., where an international field of 25 teams and their robots will try to navigate an emergency response-style obstacle course. . . . In the finals, the robots will have to operate completely wirelessly—without tethers or cords for operations, communications or power—and complete a series of tasks, including: driving, stopping and exiting a utility vehicle; opening and going through a door; finding and closing a valve; cutting through a wall; performing a ‘Surprise Task’ that DARPA won’t tell them about ahead of time; clearing debris and walking through rough terrain; and walking up stairs to the finish.”
Army’s robo-soldiers. Popular Science’s Charles Choi reports, “Soldiers of the future may all be crack shots. Not only are bullets getting smarter, but the U.S. Army is developing an exoskeleton that automatically and effortlessly steadies a soldier’s firing arm. There are of course, low-tech gun rests and other commercial devices for improving aim on the market, but the new Mobile Arm Exoskeleton for Firearm Aim Stabilization (MAXFAS) seeks to bring even more advanced technology to the process, actively sensing and canceling out even slight arm trembling, while also keeping the shooter’s arm free to point at different targets.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Fourth and long. “The Senate voted Thursday to block the Defense Department from spending taxpayer money on honoring the military at sporting events. The amendment, which passed by unanimous consent as part of an annual defense policy bill, comes in the wake of reports the Pentagon spent millions in federal funds for NFL teams to honor troops during games. McCain sponsored the amendment along with Sens. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) and Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), referring to the practice as ‘patriotism for profit.’ . . . ‘I and so many other Americans were shocked and disappointed to learn that several NFL teams weren’t sponsoring these activities out of the goodness of their own hearts, but were doing it to make an extra buck,’ he said. ‘Taking money from the American taxpayers in exchange for honoring American troops.’”
Not my responsibility. “House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on Thursday said the onus is squarely on Republicans to find the votes to pass a central piece of President Obama’s trade agenda. ‘It’s absolutely the Speaker’s responsibility,’ Pelosi said. ‘Every time we had a bill that came to the floor when I was Speaker he said it was a test of my leadership. It’s a test of his. ‘I have confidence in him,’ she added. ‘I believe he can deliver 200 of his members, but it’s not my responsibility.’”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Why China has the upper hand in the South China Sea.” Reuters contributor Barry C. Lynn argues, “Rather than waste more time on the Trans-Pacific Partnership, Washington must figure out how the extreme changes of the 1990s upset those balances. More to the point, it must swiftly figure out how to live and trade peacefully with China in what is fast becoming a post-global world.”
“Military Force Alone Can’t Deter China’s Expansionism.” Defense One contributors Robert A. Newson and Lauren Dickey argue, “Even as we seek to divert American and global trade flows to take some steam out of China’s engine of expansion we must engage China in expanding and significant ways. Competition with China need not result in military conflict. A strong defense and a military strategy that prudently deters China from aggressive military action are necessary. But beyond economic and military competition, we are in a struggle to better understand each other and this requires engagement politically, economically, militarily, and socially.”
“In war on IS, solutions may be everywhere.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “Much is being done already. But if it is not enough, each country must look harder at what more it can do.”
