Friday Finale & This Time Last Year
FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Life’s short . . . Editor Lindy Kyzer: “What does your sex life have to do with your security clearance? Not much. Guideline D is rarely used in the denial or revocation of a security clearance. Unfortunately for Ashley Madison users, however, the rare times it is used are typically instances where a security clearance holder or applicant was participating in an extramarital affair their spouse didn’t know about. If a clearance holder has already taken steps to hide an affair from his or her spouse (using a website that promises anonymity and discretion, using a work email a spouse doesn’t have access to, etc), the government has reason to think that person may go to additional steps to hide the affair – including potentially disclosing classified information if blackmail becomes an issue.” See also, “Cheating site logged federal subscribers with sensitive jobs.”
Yellow ribbons. Contributor Jennifer Cary explains, “In the event your tuition and fees aren’t completely covered by the GI Bill, you might be able to apply for the Yellow Ribbon Program. The program allows universities to waive all or part of your tuition and fees that aren’t covered by your benefit. What’s more, the Department of Veterans Affairs will match the amount being waived by the university. Together, this has the potential to greatly offset any out-of-pocket costs. The program is available to veterans entitled to the maximum benefit rate or their designated transferees. Active duty service members and their spouses are not eligible for this program.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Korea getting hot. Reuters’ Ju-Min Park and James Pearson report, “North Korean leader Kim Jong Un ordered his troops onto a war footing from 5 p.m on Friday after his government issued an ultimatum to Seoul to halt anti-Pyongyang propaganda broadcasts by Saturday afternoon or face military action. South Korean Vice Defence Minister Baek Seung-joo said it was likely the North would fire at some of the 11 sites where the loudspeakers are set up on the South’s side of the Demilitarised Zone (DMZ), which separates the two countries. Tension escalated on Thursday when North Korea fired shells into South Korea to protest against the broadcasts. The South responded with a barrage of 29 artillery shells.”
ISIS rolling through Anbar. The Long War Journal’s Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss report, “The Islamic State overran an Iraqi military base and killed dozens of soldiers and policemen in an attack near Fallujah in Anbar province, where the government has been trying to dislodge the group for the past year. In a newly released video, the Islamic State showcases its forces overrunning a military outpost near the city. The video shows jihadists attacking the base with armored personnel carriers packed with explosives and a ground assault team. The Islamic State seized tanks, armored personnel carriers, Humvees, and other vehicles. The bodies of dozens of dead Iraqi security personnel are displayed.” See also, “AV-8B Harrier Jets Begin Airstrikes Against ISIS” and “Iraqi forces recapture Samara, kill 150 ISIS.”
Ranger women celebrated. Christian Science Monitor’s Anna Mulrine reports, “They introduced themselves as Rangers, and America heard from two women who have made military history, as the first female soldiers ever to earn a Ranger tab. Capt. Kristen Griest and 1st Lt. Shaye Haver, both West Point graduates, finished Ranger School earlier this week. On Thursday, they fielded a barrage of questions as they sat on a media panel to discuss their experience at the notoriously tough school. . . . Beside them on the panel, their male Ranger buddies spoke repeatedly about initial skepticism that turned to deep admiration – and the ways in which the women more than shouldered the load for the team, again and again.” See also, “Carter Congratulates Army Ranger School Graduates.”
CONTRACT WATCH
MUSIENA: USAF’s Multi-Source Information Extraction & Network Analysis. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “U.S. Air Force military intelligence experts are asking industry for new ways of uncovering existing and future global military threats from mountains of openly available text data, such as social media, blogs, and chat rooms. . . . MUSIENA seeks to develop analytics, analytical tools, algorithms, and projects to help Air Force and other intelligence analysts sift vast amounts of text data quickly to discover and identify global military threats, as well as analyze emerging global threats.”
DHS cybersecurity contract coming. Federal Times’ Aaron Boyd reports, “The Department of Homeland Security is getting ready to award a major support contract for the National Cybersecurity Protection System and Einstein program, the agency’s main tool for detecting and blocking cyber threats on federal networks. The award for the Development, Operations and Maintenance (DOMino) contract is expected to drop soon — likely by the end of August or early September. . . . The winning contractors will be working directly with the NCPS to enhance DHS’s ability to monitor networks on the .gov domain and build the future of Einstein.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Cyberspace treaties. Defense One contributor Elaine Korzak reports, “On May 8, the Russian Federation and the People’s Republic of China signed a bilateral agreement on cooperation in the field of international information security. The treaty, which some have dubbed a ‘nonaggression pact’ for cyberspace, details cooperative measures both governments pledge to undertake, including exchange of information and increased scientific and academic cooperation. With this, Russia and China continue to advance their vision of ‘information security,’ a view of security concerns in cyberspace that is markedly different from Western approaches of ‘cybersecurity.’”
Spy story: Markus R., Germany’s turncoat. National Journal’s Dustin Volz reports, “The German government has charged one of its own foreign-intelligence spies with treason for allegedly sharing secret files with both the CIA and Russian intelligence agents. The spy, identified only as Markus R. due to German privacy law, is accused of passing secrets to the CIA from 2008 until his arrest in July of last year while employed at the German spy agency known as the BND. Investigators also believe Markus R. sent emails containing secret information to the Russian consulate in Munich . . . . In addition to treason, federal German prosecutors have also charged the man with taking bribes and disclosing official state secrets. He is believed to have received more than $100,000 in compensation from the CIA for his services.”
Spy story: MI5 on Doris Lessing. Vice News’ Katie Engelhart reports, “Beginning in the 1940s — and picking up pace in the 1950s — British spooks carefully monitored the author’s every turn: intercepting her mail, listening in on her phone calls, following her family, and recruiting her close associates to serve as informants. MI5 agents routinely reviewed Lessing’s written articles and carefully collected newspaper reviews of her novels — some gushing, others disparaging. In several reports, MI5 officials — responsible ‘for protecting the United Kingdom against threats to National Security’ — stated that their aim was to observe Lessing’s engagement with the Communist Party of Great Britain (CPGB). To that end, MI5 surveillance was conducted in close cooperation with London’s Metropolitan Police, which maintained its own file on Lessing.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Plan B (for Biden). “As concerns mount about Hillary Clinton, the movement to lure Joe Biden into the presidential race continues to up its efforts. On Thursday, Biden supporters touted polls showing the vice president outperforming the current Democratic front-runner in key swing states. The Draft Biden team continues to staff up, announcing Wednesday that Florida Democratic strategist Steve Schale was coming on board. Schale was state director for Barack Obama in 2008.”
What about Ukraine? “House Speaker John Boehner’s office called out the Obama administration this week for failing to take any steps to arm Ukraine, even though Congress approved legislation more than eight months ago giving President Obama that option. Boehner’s staff put out an email Wednesday called ‘The White House is Abandoning Ukraine,’ which said Russia continues to attack Ukraine and that the United States needs to stand with its ally and provide it with lethal aid.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Don’t Let the Iran Deal Become 2016’s Swift Boat.” Defense One contributor Joe Cirincione argues, “We deserve a debate that clarifies the opposing mindsets and helps determine which national security policy the voters truly want. But to do that, Obama and Kerry should remember that the Swift boating never really ends. As important as the Iran deal is, this assault is just a prelude to the battle to come.”
“What to say . . . during a confrontation.” Fast Company contributor Lydia Dishman explains, “We are often advised not to take things personally when they happen in a professional setting. But it’s hard to swallow and remember that when a person confronts you. The next time a conflict arises, take a deep breath and choose words that clearly address the situation, and not the other person (or people) involved.”
“Ignoring wrongs in Syria to battle Islamic State.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “The main reason to rethink this US stance is because the attacks on Sunni Muslims by the Shiite-leaning government in Damascus have become a prime recruiting tool for IS in attracting Muslims to join the war.”
