Friday Finale & This Time Last Year
FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Joint Services Transcript. Contributor Rob Kness reports, “The Department of Defense provides a transcript service that when used can cut down the time it takes to get an associate’s or bachelor’s degree. Joint Services Transcript saves time and money by providing a college or university with a list of credits awarded as a result of military service. Sent directly to the school, it can then evaluate and award credits toward a degree based on the program major and the school’s policy for transferring in credits.”
Guideline M: Misuse of Information Technology Systems. Editor Lindy Kyzer reports, “When it comes to losing your security clearance for carelessness online, the government does have one angle it can take. Guideline M: Misuse of Information Technology Systems addresses misuse of IT systems and is one of the adjudicative criteria used in a clearance determination. This guideline has almost exclusively been used in cases where pornography has been viewed on a government or workplace computer system, but it also includes sending inappropriate email or other workplace misconduct.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
President Xi arrives. Reuters’ Matt Spetalnick and Michael Martina report, “President Barack Obama will host Chinese President Xi Jinping for his first U.S. state visit [today], but the pomp and pageantry will not be enough to mask tensions over alleged Chinese cyber spying, Beijing’s economic policies and territorial disputes with its neighbors.” See also, “On cyber disputes” and “Xi Jinping’s 21-gun salute belies a rocky turn in US-China relations.”
Committed to Ukraine. Defense Media Activity’s Terri Moon Cronk reports, “The United States will continue to back the Ukrainian military’s right to defend itself when Russian-separatist forces attack its positions, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said . . . . Carter said the U.S. message to Russia stands firm as the United States is ‘adjusting its posture and investments to deter Russian aggression, and working with NATO and other security partners to do the same.’”
ISIS’ budget problems. Business Insider’s Pamela Engel reports, “The ISIS economy is struggling. A little more than a year after declaring an Islamic caliphate in Iraq and Syria, the extremist group is having a hard time keeping the promises it made to those living in its territory . . . . Some of the cash crunch comes from falling oil prices and airstrikes targeting oil facilities, and sources contend that ISIS spends more on weapons than on fulfilling the needs of the people living under its control.”
CONTRACT WATCH
$1 billion for Booz Allen Hamilton. Federal Times’ Michael Hardy reports, “Booz Allen Hamilton will support the Defense Department’s efforts to detect, mitigate and manage global threats under a contract issued by the Federal Systems Integration Management and Center (FEDSIM). The General Services Administration announced the $937 million award Sept. 24. It came through GSA’s One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services (OASIS) contract, and is the largest OASIS award to date.”
USAF calls for advanced cybersecurity and SIGINT. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Officials of the Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., released a broad agency announcement on Tuesday (BAA AFRL-RIK-2015-0022) for the Advanced Cyber, SIGINT, and Personal Communications Collection and Exploitation program. The project focuses on command, control, communications, cyber, and intelligence (C4I) with focus on intelligence and cyber.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
NSA mourns end of bulk data. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “On November 29, the NSA will formally end the practice of collecting bulk metadata – records of calls between people but not the actual contents of those calls. Instead, the agency will rely on phone companies to keep the data for use by the NSA upon presentation of a court order. On that day, Americans will become less safe, argued Adm. Michael Rogers . . . .”
Cyber protection: Resilient Hull, Mechanical, and Electrical Security (RHIMES). Homeland Security News Wire reports, “For most people, the term ‘cyber security’ calls to mind stories of data theft like the recent hacks of the OPM database, or network spying like the 2012 breach of the Navy-Marine Corps Intranet. But in this networked world, hackers might also try to disable or take control of machines in our physical world — from large systems like electric power grids and industrial plants, to transportations assets like cars, trains, planes or even ships at sea.”
Fast cam. Good’s Tod Perry reports, “A new camera developed at MIT can photograph a trillion frames per second. Compare that with a traditional movie camera which takes a mere 24. This new advancement in photographic technology has given scientists the ability to photograph the movement of the fastest thing in the Universe, light.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Agendas. “U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet in New York next week at a time of high tension in Europe and the Middle East, but the Kremlin and the White House disagreed on Thursday over the top priority for the talks. The White House insisted the meeting would focus on eastern Ukraine, where Russian-backed forces are fighting the Kiev government, prompting tough sanctions that have damaged Russia’s economy. Moscow, however, said the main focus would be on Syria . . . .” See also, “US Willing to Work With Russia Against ISIS” and “Obama, Putin to meet on the fringes.”
Shutdown aversion “Top House Republicans hope to convince their members to keep the government open by using a fast-track process known as reconciliation to try to defund Planned Parenthood. House Republican leaders are planning to target Planned Parenthood’s funding by immediately drafting a fast-track reconciliation bill, according to a senior House GOP aide. . . . It’s unclear, however, if the effort will pass muster with House conservatives — particularly with Boehner facing serious threats to his Speakership.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“The weaponization of everything: Globalization’s dark side.” Reuters contributor Nader Mousavizadeh argues, “If globalization is not to be remembered as a Trojan horse for the greatest enemies of peace, development and security, defenses as powerful and innovative as its newest threats must be built. A good place to start would be a new arms-control agreement between China and the United States . . . .”
“More Action, Less Talk Needed On Chinese Tech Theft.” Defense One contributors Jon Huntsman Jr. and Dennis Blair argue, “This arterial bleeding of American intellectual property, revenue and jobs needs to be stopped by deeds, not words.”
“Another President, Another Pope.” US News contributor Craig Shirley argues, “As Washington this week celebrates the visit of Pope Francis, it’s worth remember the first time a pontiff and a president worked together. Together with the daughter of a grocer, John Paul and Reagan defeated the greatest enemy to human freedom and dignity which ever existed.”
