FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Job transition, in style. Editor Lindy Kyzer offers, “Whether you’re actively employed and itchy for a new opportunity, or between positions and need to get into a new job fast, searching for positions can be stressful. But just because you want or need a new job doesn’t mean you need to develop an ulcer. Here are a few points to consider to keep your job search stress low. . . .”
Smart networking. Contributor Christopher Burgess advises, “While we have in the past admonished to be judicious on what you post as it can be culled, with the OPM data breach, many who have security clearances have had their information compromised. Knowing that it is probable the contents of their SF-86 are in the hands of hostile intelligence services can be disquieting. Couple this with the most recent compromise of the various medical provider data sets and the salacious Ashley Madison breach and it becomes clear there is no shortage of our information available to the targeteers of the foreign intelligence services.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Pacific pivot continues. Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber reports, “The U.S. will continue sending new weapons and equipment to the Asia-Pacific region to counter China . . . . And in a new strategy document, the Pentagon said it would continue ignoring Beijing’s claims that reclaimed land in the South China Sea constituted sovereign territory. . . . Over the past year, American officials, including Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, have stepped up their calls for China to halt such island-building. In May, the U.S. Navy released video of the manmade islands as well as recordings of radio calls of the Chinese military ordering a Navy spy plane to go away.”
Korea’s quasi war. Reuters’ Jack Kim and Ju-Min Park report, “While North Korea often makes threats, prompting tough talk from the South, the two sides have always stopped short of a return to war, although dozens of soldiers have been killed over the years. Analysts expect current tensions eventually to ease. . . . The crisis escalated on Thursday when the North fired four shells into the South, according to Seoul, which responded with a barrage of 29 artillery rounds. North Korea declared a ‘quasi-state of war’ in front-line areas and set an ultimatum for Seoul to halt its broadcasts. That deadline passed on Saturday without incident.”
Legion of Honor for American heroes. AP’s Sylvie Corbet reports, “Three Americans and a Briton who tackled an attacker loaded with guns and ammunition prevented carnage on the high-speed train carrying 500 passengers to Paris, France’s president said Monday as he presented the men with the Legion of Honor and praised them as an example of the need for action when faced with terrorism. President Francois Hollande said the two Americans who first tackled the gunman were soldiers, ‘but on Friday you were simply passengers. You behaved as soldiers but also as responsible men.’”
CONTRACT WATCH
Blue Wolf undersea speed. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Officials of the Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) in Keyport, Wash., have awarded three contracts on behalf of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., for the Blue Wolf program, which aims at sea testing of undersea energy, hydrodynamic lift, and drag-reduction technologies for manned and unmanned underwater vehicles (UUVS). The Blue Wolf program will develop and demonstrate integrated underwater vehicle prototypes able to operate at speed and range combinations previously unachievable in fixed-size platforms, while retaining traditional volume and weight fractions for payloads and electronics . . . .”
Changes in Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation acquisition. Federal Times’ Aaron Boyd reports, “One of the main points that made the Department of Homeland Security’s Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation program different from other cybersecurity initiatives was the creation of a blanket purchase agreement to enable agencies to buy security tools off a single vehicle. That is likely to change slightly in the next few months, with at least one group of agencies getting their products off a General Services Administration GWAC instead.”
