Thirsty Thursday & Hiroshima Remembers
FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Office politics. Editor Lindy Kyzer advises, “One of the many realities of the trendy open-concept office design is that you’re now likely working in closer contact with your coworkers than ever before. Even managers now find themselves seated buffet style with their coworkers, all in the name of collaboration. And while the concept may be great for communication, it’s not always great for actually getting your job done. If you’re office workers are making you particularly nutty, here are a few tips to keep in mind . . . .”
STEM: smooth transitions. Contributor Jennifer Cary offers, “Looking for a career with job stability and a nice paycheck? Consider pursuing a position in the field of science, technology, engineering or math. With an increasing demand for qualified professionals and a critical hiring gap on the horizon, it’s the perfect time to become a STEM professional.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Bombing Hiroshima. AP reports (and reported), “An atomic bomb, hailed as the most terrible destructive force in history and as the greatest achievement of organized science, has been loosed upon Japan. President (Harry) Truman disclosed in a White House statement at 11 a.m. Eastern War Time, today that the first use of the bomb – containing more power than 20,000 tons of TNT and producing more than 2,000 times the blast of the most powerful bomb ever dropped before – was made 16 hours earlier on Hiroshima, a Japanese army base. . . .” See also, “Japan marks 70th anniversary,” “What it was like to survive the atomic bombing of Hiroshima” and “What it would look like if the Hiroshima bomb hit your city.”
Swamp phase. Washington Post’s Dan Lamothe reports, “Two women who completed the previous phase in the mountains of northern Georgia arrived with about 125 men over the weekend, reaching the home stretch of the famously grueling Ranger course. A third woman remains in the mountains, where she was ‘recycled’ along with 60 male students, allowing them to try again. The three women remain from a historic group of 19 that tried Ranger School for the first time beginning April 20.”
Haqqani’s Lion’s Den Training Camp. The Long War Journal’s Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss report, “A Taliban fighter promoted what he described as a training camp for jihadists in the eastern Afghan province of Paktia. The camp is located in a district that is a stronghold of the Haqqani Network and which has hosted members of al Qaeda’s network in the past. . . . The images were not released by Al Emarah, the Taliban’s official media wing, nor on Voice of Jihad. However, two US military intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal said that it is highly likely that the Taliban is training there.” See also, “Top general in Afghanistan considers 2016 troop levels.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Theater Blood Application, DoD, and Akimeka fail. Reuters’ Scot J. Paltrow reports, “A U.S. Defense Department system for tracking and helping speed blood supplies to combat field hospitals does not work, threatening to cause blood shortages for wounded soldiers . . . . The Theater Blood Application, introduced in 2011, is now in use at more than 249 sites . . . . The Inspector General’s report, dated July 17, 2015, and released last week, said the system was built to faulty specifications. As a result, it said, the system does not meet basic needs for ‘a blood-tracking tool to ensure accurate blood inventory, patient safety, and deliver high quality products to support the warfighter.’ It recommended halting further spending on the project until the faults can be fixed.”
Ship-killing firepower shortage. Breaking Defense’s Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. reports, “For all the US Navy’s worldwide might, it’s painfully short on ship-killing firepower. The Pacific fleet in particular risks being ‘out-sticked’ by longer-ranged Chinese missiles. [Wednesday], the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations outlined a plan to fill that gap. The two competing options: an update of the old, reliable Tomahawk or the new Long-Range Anti-Ship Missile. Lockheed Martin’s LRASM, a modified Air Force missile, should compete against an upgrade of Raytheon’s Tomahawk to be the Navy’s next-generation Offensive Anti-Surface Warfare (OASuW) weapon, Vice Adm. Joseph Aucoin said . . . .”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
CIA’s letter to Congress. Vice News’ Jason Leopold reports, “Three months after President Barack Obama was sworn into office, then-CIA Director Leon Panetta sent a letter to congressional oversight committees informing them that the agency was changing its torture policies. But the CIA would still play a significant role in the interrogation of terrorism suspects, according to a top-secret letter Panetta wrote . . . . Panetta’s letter was sent to lawmakers just days after the Senate Intelligence Committee voted to begin an investigation into the efficacy of the CIA’s detention and interrogation program. It also followed an executive order Obama signed as one of his first acts as president outlawing the use of so-called ‘enhanced interrogation techniques’ and shuttering the CIA’s network of black site prisons where detainees were held.” Read Panetta’s letter.
SATCOMs hacked. Defense News’ Patrick Tucker reports, “If you rely on Globalstar’s Simplex network, your communications may be far more naked — and changeable — than you realize. A lot of military personnel use satellite phones and satellite tracking to communicate back home from dangerous deployments. Oil and gas companies use satellite-based geo-tracking to keep tabs on multimillion-dollar oil shipments. A lot of aviators use satellite tracking to reassure air traffic control that their plane isn’t deviating from course. Journalists and relief workers operating in dangerous locations often use satellite tracking so that they can be found in case they are kidnapped or go missing.”
Deep and Dark webs. Flashpoint’s primer on cybersecurity and intel gathering way down under: “Whether looking for threat actors targeting an organization or identifying the proliferation of leaked data after a successful attack, ignoring the rich trove of data generated within the Deep & Dark Web creates a critical blind spot for any security team. Actionable intelligence from the Deep & Dark Web can substantially reduce potential costs for an organization by protecting against threats while minimizing reputational damage following a breach.”
Tapping Silicon Valley. Defense Media Activity’s Terri Moon Cronk reports, “In an ongoing effort to create innovative partnerships to benefit national security and industry, Deputy Defense Secretary Bob Work met yesterday with senior leaders at the new Defense Innovation Unit Experimental ‘point of presence’ here. Work and Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, met with newly appointed DIUx Director George Duchak and military deputy Navy Rear Adm. Brian Hendrickson to discuss key areas of the pilot program, intended to produce dual-use technology between the Defense Department and Silicon Valley.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Gloves off. “The gloves are coming off in the heated debate over the Iran nuclear accord, as opponents and boosters of the deal are accusing each other of deception, fear mongering, and selling out Israel. In a major foreign policy address on at American University on Wednesday, Obama said the pending nuclear agreement with Iran . . . was the most important foreign policy decision since the Iraq War, framing the debate as a choice between ‘diplomacy… and some form of war.’ He then accused those who oppose the deal in Congress of ‘making common cause’ with Iranian hardliners, who also oppose any detente between the US and Iran.” See also, “Iran nuclear deal: Is war the only alternative, as Obama warns?”
Smackdown cage match. “Excitement is building in this city and throughout the political world for the most compelling primary debate in years, a Republican clash that will take place Thursday evening. The debate has such an unusual brew of ingredients that even seasoned political observers admit they have seen nothing quite like it. ‘There’s a huge sense of anticipation. The United States has become a reality TV country, and at the moment we have a reality TV presidential race,’ said Kyle Kondik of the University of Virginia Center for Politics.” See also, “The GOP debate: 5 things to watch.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“How to talk about your skills without sounding like a show-off.” Fast Company contributor Vivian Giang advises, “Bragging about yourself isn’t something to be embarrassed about. In fact, it’s absolutely vital in your professional life, which is why women, who tend to underestimate their achievements, are encouraged to learn the art of self-promotion. Just remember the next time you talk yourself up that coming off as sincere is essential when highlighting your accomplishments and skills so that they won’t be forgotten.”
“The Legal Problems with Cyber War Are Much Bigger Than You Think.” Defense One contributor Benjamin Brake argues, “Public attributions, declassification of relevant intelligence, and the responsible use of countermeasures will do far more than tribunals and legal scholars can to shape how we deal with attribution and responsibility in cyberspace.”
