FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Navigating the GI Bill. Contributor Ron Kness writes, “For veterans having both GI Bills, making the decision of which one to use can be confusing. With at least three years of eligible service, both GI Bills provide 36 months of education benefits. Both pay for degree, non-degree, on-the-job (OJT)/apprenticeships, certifications and licensing programs. . . . . One big difference between the two GI Bills is how each pays.”
Accentuate the positive. Editor Lindy Kyzer advises, “Keep this tip in mind when it comes to what you include on your resume. Ashamed of your alma mater? Don’t list it. Lead with your skills and certifications instead. A great resume is all about accentuating the positive. If you’re afraid to highlight something, you probably shouldn’t include it.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
ISIS wins. What if? Vice News’ Landon Shroder reports, “More than 50 analysts at US Central Command have recently said that claims of the so-called Islamic State’s weakness have been greatly exaggerated. If analysts’ allegations are correct, maybe it’s time to start asking the question everyone seems intent on avoiding: What happens if IS can’t be defeated? Do we then have to acknowledge the possibility of an IS victory?”
Russia on Syria: let’s talk. The Guardian’s Alec Luhn reports, “The US secretary of state, John Kerry, has said Russia has proposed talks between the two countries’ militaries on the situation in Syria, apparently in response to Washington’s concern over reports of a Russian military buildup there. Foreign minister Sergei Lavrov made the offer during a phone call on Wednesday, said Kerry, adding that he was in favour of such contacts because the US wants a better idea of what Russia’s current intentions are in Syria. Kerry said Lavrov had told him Russia was only interested in fighting the Islamic State militants.” See also, “US set to join Russia military talks.”
Short on Syrian fighters. AP’s Deb Reichmann and Lolita Baldor report, “Republicans and Democrats lambasted the Obama administration’s strategy to combat the Islamic State group after a top U.S. general admitted that just a handful of U.S.-trained Syrian rebels are still on the battlefield fighting the militants. The four or five fighters still engaged in the campaign is astonishingly short of the U.S. goal to train and equip 5,400 rebels a year at a cost of $500 million.”
Ash Carter on the future force. Defense Media Activity’s Amaani Lyle reports, “Two days before the Air Force’s 68th birthday, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said . . . that the military must embrace the future to remain the best force. . . . [H]e said, it’s vital to innovate and reinvest in the people, strategies and technologies that will sustain the U.S. military’s dominance into a second aerospace century.”
CONTRACT WATCH
UK defense exports. Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber reports, “British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has a message for U.K. defense firms: If you want to boost profits, make sure you can sell your products overseas. In return, Fallon vowed that the Defence Ministry would champion U.K. companies to allies and will ‘lead on key, strategic export campaigns’ around the world.”
UK’s drone defense system. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “An English defense electronics company is touting a perimeter-security counter-drone system to defeat unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) that may be on terrorist or spy missions by forcing the UAVs to land before they can do damage. Selex ES Ltd. in Basildon, Essex, is unveiling the Falcon Shield electronic warfare (EW) system this week at the Defence and Security Equipment International (DSEi) trade show in London. Falcon Shield is designed to detect and commandeer threatening UAVs.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Khalid el-Masri speaks. Washington Post’s Souad Mekhennet reports, “In early 2004, Khalid el-Masri, a German and Lebanese citizen, was turned over to the CIA by the authorities in Macedonia where he had been detained while trying to enter the country on a short trip. He was taken to Afghanistan and spent several months in the CIA’s then-secret interrogation program. Reports by the CIA’s inspector general and the Senate Intelligence Committee later found that Masri had been wrongfully detained and that the agency was too slow to rectify its mistake.”
China on hacks. Reuters’ Michael Martina reports, “China opposes Internet attacks and wants to work with the United States in cyberspace but will defend its interests, a senior Chinese official said on Thursday after U.S. President Barack Obama warned of a forceful response to Beijing over hacking. . . . Obama told executives on Wednesday the United States has emphasized to China that industrial espionage in cyberspace would be considered an ‘act of aggression’, and called for an international framework to prevent the Internet from being ‘weaponized’.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Serious two-steppin’. “The only two viable potential replacements for John Boehner as speaker of the House say they back the Ohio Republican and will oppose any effort to remove him from power. But other high-ranking Republicans are testing the waters should the embattled speaker be forced out. . . . The support from McCarthy and Ryan represents the most full-throated endorsement of Boehner since a small pocket of conservatives said they were looking to knock him out of the speaker’s chair in July. Still, Boehner’s tenuous hold on power, exacerbated by conservative demands to cut off federal funding to Planned Parenthood, has set off some jockeying for position in the upper ranks of the House GOP hierarchy should he fall.”
Sorry, Mom. “Republican presidential candidate Jeb Bush made light of his admission to smoking marijuana four decades ago amid Wednesday night’s GOP debate. ‘So 40 years ago I smoked marijuana, and I admit it,’ the former Florida governor said while smiling during the main-stage debate in California. ‘I’m sure that other people might have done it and might not want to say it in front of 25 million people. My mom’s not happy that I just did,’ Bush said. His Twitter account followed up with an apology to the former first lady . . . .”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Obama Needs an ISIS War Czar.” Defense One contributors Richard Fontaine and Vance Serchuk argue, “Back in Washington, the White House should reestablish a ‘war czar’ position at the National Security Council. . . . Congress can help by pressing the Obama administration not only on the need for more manpower and firepower against ISIS, but also on the lack of a civil-military campaign plan and a coherent architecture to prosecute this fight.”
“Syrian refugees as Trojan horse for Islamic State?” Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “Inflated fears of terrorists must be constantly examined. Leaders in the West need to manage the risks of terror but also the fears of it, not pander to such fears or propagate them. Often the best antidote to fear of terror is showing some compassion to Muslims in need.”
“Being the most productive.” Fast Company contributor Laura Vanderkam advises, “Prioritize talking with people who have been promoted about their journeys, and people in gatekeeper roles. Mentoring is also a bonus: Showing you can nurture other people’s talents provides evidence that you’ll do this well higher up the ladder.”
