FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Expectation management. Editor Lindy Kyzer writes, “Maybe it’s time to lower your expectations – they may be the source behind why you really hate your job, less so than the actual work itself. That’s the message from a growing body of research that finds our happiness is less related to our circumstances than our expectations. . . .”
Resume review. Contributor Julie Mendez advises, “As your primary marketing tool, your resume creates a specific picture in the recruiter’s mind of who you are, and how best you might fit in their team. This can help you develop a vibrant first impression before they even meet you in person.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Syrian Democratic Forces dwindling. New York Times’ Ben Hubbard reports, “One Arab commander, sitting near the earthen wall that separates this deserted town in Syria from the Islamic State’s front line, bitterly recalled being chased from his Syrian hometown by the jihadists and said he would do anything to reclaim that territory. But then he detailed a list of things his forces needed: ammunition, radios, heavy weapons and more American airstrikes.” See also, “Little Chance The UK Will Bomb ISIS In Syria.”
Asian balancing act. Defense Media Activity reports, “Defense Secretary Ash Carter today met with several counterparts representing nations from across the Asia-Pacific region during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Defense Ministers’ Meeting – Plus, held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia . . . . Carter held a bilateral meeting with the Minister of National Defense of the People’s Republic of China General Chang Wanquan. The U.S. defense secretary opened the meeting by reaffirming the U.S. rebalance to the Asia-Pacific, which he said preserves the peace, stability, and openness of the region.” See also, “Taiwan, Chinese presidents to meet.”
Defense-cut deal. Defense News’ Joe Gould, Lara Seligman and Jen Judson report, “Lawmakers have reduced the 2016 defense policy bill by $5 billion to comply with the budget deal between Congress and the president, including $2.6 billion in ‘adjustments’ to acquisition programs . . . . Defense watchers expect appropriators to conference and pass their spending bills before Dec. 11 to avoid a government shutdown, though it is unclear whether they will hew precisely to the $5 billion authorizers are advancing.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Lockheed takes $5.4 billion for fighters. Defense News’ Christopher P. Cavas reports, “Contracts worth $5.37 billion have been awarded to Lockheed Martin to produce 55 Lot IX F-35 Joint Strike Fighters, the Pentagon announced Tuesday evening. A total of 41 F-35A conventional ground-based aircraft were ordered, including 26 for the US Air Force, six for Norway, seven for Israel and two for Japan.”
Expeditionary Fast Transport on order. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “U.S. Navy leaders are getting ready to order the service’s eleventh expeditionary fast transport (EPF) vessel and its ship electronics for the quick transport of warfighters, their equipment, and other cargo within battle theaters. Officials of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington have announced a $53.5 million contract to Austal USA in Mobile, Ala., for long-lead-time material and initial engineering support for the Expeditionary Fast Transport (EPF) 11 (formerly Joint High Speed Vessel 11).”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Free the data: CIA’s info sharing effort. FCW’s Sean Lyngaas reports, “CIA data has traditionally been held in walled-off silos, but the head of the spy agency’s new Directorate for Digital Innovation wants to change that. . . . Within 10 years, a CIA analyst will be able to take insight from data analytics and translate it rapidly and visually to mobile devices in the field . . . .”
Cyber-crisis: who’s in charge? Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “The threat of a massive cyber attack on civilian infrastructure, leading to loss of life and perhaps billions in damages, has kept lawmakers on edge since before former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta warned of it back in 2012 (or the fourth Die Hard movie in 2007). Many experts believe that a sneak attack would be highly unlikely. But if one were to occur today, DHS and the Defense Department wouldn’t exactly know who is in charge.”
Commercial cloud direct. FierceGovernmentIT’s Molly Bernhart Walker reports, “Nearly one year ago, Defense Department Chief Information Officer Terry Halvorsen signed a memorandum that allowed the military services to handle their own acquisition of commercial cloud computing technology rather than requiring the Defense Information Systems Agency to serve as middleman. In empowering the services, the approach effectively reversed a June 2012 memo from former DoD CIO Teri Takai that required DISA to negotiate relationships between cloud providers and consumers, and manage the use, performance and delivery of cloud services.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Concessions. “On Thursday morning, before the House gavels out for the week, Republicans will do something they haven’t done much over the past five years. All 246 of them will gather in one room to plot out a game plan for a looming spending fight — five weeks before a deadline. . . . Ryan is also relinquishing some of the speaker’s power and moving toward tweaking many facets of the institution in ways that have surprised many on Capitol Hill.”
Girding. “Spending legislation and a major transportation funding blueprint will soon test the relationship between new House Speaker Paul Ryan and his senate counterpart, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. Ryan, R-Wis., who was elected speaker last week, met with Senate Republicans in a private lunch on Tuesday as lawmakers gear up for major legislative tasks that have the potential to become big battles.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Is There a Sunni Solution to ISIS?” Defense One contributors Lisa Blaydes and Martha Crenshaw argue, “Saddam’s brutally repressive and ultimately narrow regime left many Iraqi Sunnis outside of his coalition. It is in the areas where these Sunnis were most numerous that ISIS is strongest today.”
“China’s Economy Is Worse Than You Think.” Bloomberg contributor Noah Smith argues, “All in all, China’s financial sector raises the possibility of a growth scenario that is far more pessimistic than official or private numbers would have us believe. Time will tell, of course. But I wouldn’t bet on a quick bounce-back of Chinese growth. At least, not a real one.”
“Why the West should worry about Turkey.” Reuters contributor Peter Marino argues, “Dealing with Erdogan is now, for his Western partners, much like holding a wolf by the ears: risky, but the alternative seems much worse.”
“Ahmed Chalabi: The real victor of the Iraq War.” Aljazeera contributor Ibrahim Al-Marashi argues, “Chalabi’s legacy is a controversial one, serving at the centre of the controversial WMD intelligence that justified the war, a matter that is contentious to this day. However, he played the political game well . . . .”
