FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Making the job a game. Contributor David Brown writes, ““You think this is some kind of game?” shouted all of our fathers at some point in our youth. The short answer is: yes. A gamified task is some kind of game, and can be fun, lucrative, and beneficial for your career.”
This is your clearance on drugs. Contributor Sean Bigley advises, “It depends upon the agency at issue, the agency’s suitability standards (which differ from security standards), whether the applicant used drugs while holding a security clearance, and a variety of other factors. For example, the DEA has unusually strict disqualifiers on drug usage for obvious reasons – namely, allowing only ‘limited, youthful, and experimental use of marijuana.’ Usage of any other drugs – no matter how long ago – is a per se disqualifier. The FBI, while also unusually strict, takes a more nuanced approach . . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Iraqi strategy: Shia militias’ war crimes. Vice News’ Atoosa Moinzadeh reports, “Shia militias backed by the Iraqi government deliberately destroyed hundreds of homes and shops in Tikrit after retaking the city from Islamic State (IS) militants in March and April of 2015, according to a report released Sunday by Human Rights Watch. . . . The Iraqi government relied on the Iranian-backed militias to liberate Tikrit, but, according to Human Rights Watch, the forces ultimately laid waste to entire swathes of the city. After IS fled, several pro-government Shia militias allegedly abducted more than 200 Sunni residents south of Tikrit near the city of al-Dur. At least 160 of the abductees remain unaccounted for.”
Russia escalates Syria. Reuters’ Suleiman al-Khalidi and Tom Perry report, “Rebels who have inflicted big losses on Syrian President Bashar al-Assad say Russia’s intervention in support of its ally will only lead to an escalation of the war and may encourage the rebels’ Gulf Arab backers to pour in more military aid. Russia’s deployment is prompting a reassessment of the conflict among insurgents whose advances in western Syria in recent months may have been the catalyst for Russia’s decision. U.S. officials say Russian forces are already arriving.”
CONTRACT WATCH
GSA welcomes 3-D printing. Federal Times’ Aaron Boyd reports, “GSA added the new SIN to Schedule 36 — office supplies, equipment and furniture — under item number 51-400. There are currently four contractors on the SIN: BahFed Corp., Galloway Plastics, Phillips Corp. and Tuckahoe Trading. As of Sept. 18, BahFed has already recorded sales of $1,613 off the SIN, according to GSA data.”
EMP communications. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “U.S. Air Force researchers are asking industry for new ways to safeguard military communications amid the blast, radiation, and electromagnetic pulse (EMP) caused by detonation of nuclear weapons. Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., issued a request for information (RFI-RIK-15-04) this week for the Nuclear Communications for Aerial Systems and Technologies (NCAST) project.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
NSA, Bush, and bulk collection. New York Times’ Charlie Savage reports, “President George W. Bush sought to retroactively authorize portions of the National Security Agency’s post-9/11 surveillance and data collection program after a now-famous incident in 2004 in which his attorney general refused to certify the program as lawful from his hospital bed, according to newly declassified portions of a government investigation. Mr. Bush’s effort to salvage the surveillance program without changes did not satisfy top Justice Department officials, who threatened to resign.”
FBI’s biometrics: cataloguing everybody. Electronic Frontier Foundation’s Jennifer Lynch reports, “Being a job seeker isn’t a crime. But the FBI has made a big change in how it deals with fingerprints that might make it seem that way. For the first time, fingerprints and biographical information sent to the FBI for a background check will be stored and searched right along with fingerprints taken for criminal purposes. The change, which the FBI revealed quietly in a February 2015 Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA), means that if you ever have your fingerprints taken for licensing or for a background check, they will most likely end up living indefinitely in the FBI’s NGI database.”
Cyber fusion centers: Target’s Red Team. Krebs On Security’s Brian Krebs reports, “Target has never talked publicly about lessons learned from the breach, no doubt because the company fears whatever it says will be used against it in class-action lawsuits. However, the company has invested hundreds of millions of dollars in additional security personnel and in building out a ‘cyber fusion center’ to better respond to daily threats that confront its various stores and networks.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
The end is near. “Even some of the staunchest anti-establishment Tea Party Republicans in the House admit they don’t have a viable plan to unseat House Speaker John Boehner. And despite an increase in Capitol Hill hallway chatter about a shake up, there are no talks about an attempt to remove the House GOP leadership . . . . Boehner’s ouster could happen if a member requests a vote to elect a new Speaker, which requires 218 votes. With dozens of disgruntled conservatives potentially ready to vote against Boehner, he might come up short of the votes needed to stay in power.”
Strategy for success. “Sen. Kelly Ayotte (N.H.) is pressing fellow Republican Sen. Ted Cruz (Texas) to reveal his ‘strategy for success’ as he risks a government shutdown in an attempt to end federal funding of Planned Parenthood. In a letter to Cruz on Thursday, Ayotte demanded to know why the firebrand Texas senator — and presidential candidate — is so strongly pushing legislation that the party can’t pass.”
