Qualified for the job. Contributor Ron Kness writes, “If you are looking to get into the cybersecurity career field, there are three qualifications that can better position you to break into that field and possibly get that job of your dreams: Security-Related Certifications, Targeted Military Experience, Knowing SAML . . . .”
Beyond recruiting: retention. Contributor Charles Simmins reports, “Cyber talent management is the latest catch phrase in the cyber security industry. Business people have always recognized that success includes finding ways for talented, top of their game people to achieve, progress and be rewarded. With the massive growth in demand for cybersecurity professionals, the management of talent has taken a back seat in many ways to just obtaining the qualified personnel.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Washington Post’s Wesley Morgan reports, “[T]he Pentagon released the name of the first American serviceman to die in battle in the latest round of U.S. military involvement in Iraq: Master Sgt. Joshua Wheeler, age 39, killed during a raid by Kurdish and American commandos on an Islamic State prison near the town of Hawija that reportedly freed 70 hostages who were soon to be summarily executed. Accompanying Wheeler’s name and age in the Pentagon’s release was a vague description of his unit: ‘Headquarters U.S. Army Special Operations Command.’”
AP’s Lynne O’Donnell reports, “Al-Qaida has re-established a presence in Afghanistan and the Islamic State group has become a serious threat, the Afghan national security adviser warned, saying the country was in danger of again becoming a safe haven for terrorists and calling for U.S. and NATO military backing to help drive them out.”
Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber and Patrick Tucker report, “The U.S. military has a new top commander for the fight against Islamic State militants in Iraq and Syria, and the region is about to get a new special operations commander. Defense Secretary Ashton Carter last month quietly put Army Lt. Gen. Sean MacFarland in charge of the coalition fighting ISIS in Iraq and Syria.”
The Long War Journal’s Thomas Joscelyn reports, “Three jihadist groups in Syria have formed a joint operations room in the Damascus countryside to combat the Syrian regime and Russian forces. The three organizations are Al Nusrah Front, Ahrar al Sham and Ajnad al Sham. The alliance, named Jund al Malahim (‘Soldiers of the Epics’), is the latest in a series of jihadist-led coalitions formed by Al Nusrah, an official branch of al Qaeda, and Ahrar al Sham, which is linked to al Qaeda. The most prominent of these joint ventures is Jaysh al Fateh (‘Army of Conquest’), which overran most of the Idlib province beginning in March.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Defense News reports, “In a move that promises to shake up the fighter jet market, Canada’s new Liberal Party government is widely expected to pull out of the Pentagon’s F-35 program. Although the remaining international partners are standing by their commitment to the joint strike fighter, Ottawa’s potential exit is not exactly a vote of confidence in the fifth-generation fighter jet.”
Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Scientists at Northrop Grumman Corp. are building a powerful shipboard laser weapon prototype that can disable or destroy enemy fast attack boats, drones, and surveillance sensors. This laser weapon will use existing shipboard power-generation capabilities and will be appropriate for a variety of U.S. Navy surface warships, including Arleigh Burke-class destroyers.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “Conductive Composites has created a method to layer nickel on carbon to form a material that’s light and moldable like plastic yet can disperse energy like a traditional metal cage. The material also holds promise for a scalable defense against an electromagnetic pulse weapon. EMPs are a rising concern for the national security community, but not a new one.”
The Wall Street Journal’s Danny Yadron reports, “The former head of the National Security Agency has attracted funding for his cybersecurity startup from a prominent venture-capital firm, highlighting the continuing ties between Silicon Valley and Washington despite recent tensions. Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers is among the investors providing a $32.5 million infusion to IronNet Cybersecurity Inc., which aims to help companies fight computer hackers with software.”
Homeland Security News Wire reports, “Imagine millions of lines of instructions. Then try and picture how one extremely tiny anomaly could be found in almost real-time and prevent a cyber security attack. A trio of Virginia Tech computer scientists has tested their ‘program anomaly detection approach’ against many real-world attacks.”
