FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Your career entourage. Editor Lindy Kyzer advises, “No one can go it alone, especially as a job seeker. But having an entourage is about more than just networking – it’s about building a strategic core of individuals who will help you accomplish your career objectives. Whether you’re actively searching for a new position or simply looking for a promotion or upward advancement, having an entourage is essential. Here’s who should make it onto your list. . . .”
Fed Vets. Contributor Jennifer Cary advises, “Going forward, FY2014 will be used as a benchmark for retention rates and agencies will be rated at how well they close the gap at the end of the year. Specific plans on how to improve retention rates have not been shared. However, there are some ways for veterans to increase their chances of finding the right agency for them. Consider these tips from U.S. News & World Report about successfully transitioning to a second career. . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Drones to Latvia: building up Eastern Europe. DoD Buzz’s Richard Sisk reports, “Two MQ-1 Predator drones and 70 airmen from the Texas Air National Guard have deployed to Latvia in the continuing buildup of forces on a rotational basis in Eastern Europe to guard against Russia and spillover from the crisis in Ukraine. U.S. European Command also announced that two of the four F-22 Raptor stealth fighter jets that arrived in Germany last week had been flown to the Lask airbase in central Poland to join training exercises with NATO allies.” See also, “Two US Predator Drones Deployed To Latvia.”
Afghanistan reaches out to Russia. Afghan Zariza reports, “First vice president Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum has asked Russia to help Afghan security forces with military equipment, including aircrafts. Gen. Dostum returned to Kabul on Monday after spearheading month-long military operation against insurgents in northern provinces of Faryab and Sar e Pul. Addressing a press conference upon his return, Gen. Dostum called on Russia to help Afghanistan at this critical juncture.”
Iraq’s Rambo: Abu Azrael. The Long War Journal’s Thomas Joscelyn reports, “Abu Azrael, who is well-known for his bravado and hulking physique, has earned the nickname ‘Rambo.’ He is a commander in the Imam Ali Brigades, which are part of the Iraqi government-sponsored Popular Mobilization Forces. According to press reports, the militia is ‘made up of combatants trained in Iran or Lebanon’ and has established a reputation as a vicious counterweight to the Islamic State. In May, representatives of Grand Ayatollah Sistani awarded Abu Azrael the ‘Martyrdom Medal of Honor.’” See also, “Why Islamic State set off explosives at Syria’s ancient Bel temple” and “Temple of Bel ‘destroyed.’”
Politics of piracy. Lawfare contributor Eugene Kontorovich reports, “The International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea issued a provisional order in the Enrica Lexie case on August 24th. This epic legal battle between India and Italy concern’s the latter’s efforts to prosecute Italian marines who accidentally killed Indian fishermen that they had mistaken them for pirates. . . . U.S. forces were acting under NATO command: the ‘disruption caused to our alliances by treating allied command decisions as advisory or second-rate is all too evident.’”
CONTRACT WATCH
Mighty Ducks on cyberdefense. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T) awarded a $1.38 million contract to the University of Oregon to create technology to defend against large and sophisticated Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. One of eight contracts to be awarded through Broad Agency Announcement HSHQDC-14-R- B00017, the University of Oregon’s DrawBridge project will become part of the DHS S&T Cyber Security Division’s larger Distributed Denial of Service Defenses (DDoSD) program.” See also, “Federal study shows security banners can trick hackers into doing nothing.”
GSA’s first BPA winners. Federal Times´ Aaron Boyd reports, “The team at 18F — the General Services Administration’s digital services innovation arm — released the 16 winners for the first set of contracts on its Agile Development Services blanket purchase agreement (BPA). 18F developers have been championing agile software development methods since the unit was created, however the enthusiastic response from agencies looking for help with this quickly outstripped the team’s ability to offer support.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Future navy. The Telegraph’s Alan Tovey reports, “Warships of the future could be built from ultra-strong plastic and graphene, armed with weapons that fire at the speed of light and operated by crews a fraction of the size needed by current vessels. The proposals are just some of the ideas from naval architects and engineers who were tasked by the Royal Navy and Ministry of Defence to imagine how the future fleet might look.” See also, “Is This the Warship of the Future?”
Augmented reality. Breaking Defense’s Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. reports, “Think of it as Google Glass goes to war — only less nerd and more Marine. Budget cuts and readiness shortfalls have the US military looking at virtual reality as a partial replacement for expensive field exercises. But VR has real limits. So this month, young Marines at the Infantry Officer Course in Quantico tested a technology to get the best of both worlds: augmented reality.”
Swarm bots. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “Like a team of silver-suited circus performers, they encircle the jet in a precise and choreographed dance and begin a series of electromagnetic attacks, jamming the radar and the communications. The jet’s instruments begin to behave strangely. The pilot takes aim but there are too many of them. He’s been swarmed. As quickly as they appear, the drones are gone, vanished into the underbelly of a low-flying bomber that’s now climbing away. With his communications and targeting equipment fried, the pilot must return to base. He’s been effectively neutralized and the culprits are nowhere to be seen.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Ohhhhhhh. “Former Vice President Dick Cheney, blamed on Monday the Obama administration for turning its back on Iraq, saying the complete withdrawal of US troops had left a vacuum that was filled by the Islamic State (ISIS). ‘I think the spread of ISIS was the direct result of the vacuum that was created when the Obama administration withdrew all our forces from Iraq,’ said Cheney . . . . ‘We turned our backs on Iraq. We had Iraq in good shape by the time we left office. Even Obama said as much’ . . . .”
Shutdown watch. “Who would be to blame for a government shutdown caused by a fight over funding levels? Republicans of course. Little has changed in the past two years when it comes to how the public views a spending fight that shutters government operations, a Quinnipiac University poll revealed Monday. . . . Americans are just as likely to blame the GOP if a shutdown happens, Quinnipiac found, with 41 percent predicting they’d blame Republicans, compared to 33 percent who would pin the responsibility on the Democrats.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Meet the man trying to bring Iraq back from the brink.” Reuters contributor Mohammad Bazzi argues, “Abadi inherited this sectarian and dysfunctional political system. He must unify a fractured Iraq, by assuring Sunnis that the central government will protect their interests, while keeping rivals like Maliki in check. Abadi must also ensure that his predecessor stands trial for his corruption and the failures that helped empower Sunni extremists — and led to the catastrophe that has unfolded in Iraq.”
“The global call for more border walls.” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “The concept of the nation-state and the need for inviolable borders is not going away anytime soon. Yet with globalization only increasing, the answer to security threats, perceived or real, is usually more cooperation, not more fortification.”
“Eliminate constant interruptions.” Fast Company contributor Lisa Evans offers, “Constant emails and phone calls and coworkers dropping by to ask “just a quick question” can eat up the majority of your working time, leaving your real work untouched at the end of the day. Business performance expert Shawn Casemore says the key to improving our productivity is managing interruptions. Here’s how. . . .”
