FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Non-disclosure disclosure. Contributor and in-house counsel Sean Bigley advises, “The appearance is often that the employee intentionally withheld the information from the federal government. Unfortunately, there isn’t anything we can do to roll-back the non-disclosure: you can’t un-sign a document you already signed under penalty of perjury. What we can sometimes do, however, is show that the employee’s understanding of the nature of a confidential settlement was a reasonable mistake.”
Flaunt it. Contributor Julie Menendez writes, “Promoting yourself is not about putting down your competition, it is not about exaggerating, and it is not about bragging. It is about stating facts proven by the results you’ve accomplished in your career. Over time, this little trick of just trying to be proactively helpful, will assist you get over the ‘selling yourself’ hump and promote yourself in a friendly, non-pushy way.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Third Offset strategy. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “Pentagon leaders believe pairing soldiers with machines in combat will give American troops an edge on the battlefield of the future. The ambitious effort is the centerpiece of what the Pentagon is calling the ‘third offset,’ a strategy that seeks to deter countries like Russia and China from waging war against the U.S.”
Airliner bombed. Reuters’ Ahmed Mohamed Hassan and Michael Gregory report, “Investigators of the Russian plane crash in Egypt are ‘90 percent sure’ the noise heard in the final second of a cockpit recording was an explosion caused by a bomb . . . . Confirmation that militants brought down the airliner could have a devastating impact on Egypt’s lucrative tourist industry, which has suffered from years of political turmoil and was hit last week when Russia, Turkey and several European countries suspended flights to Sharm al-Sheikh and other destinations. It could also mark a new strategy by the hardline Islamic State group which holds large parts of Syria and Iraq.”
Netanyahu returns to White House. AP’s Julie Pace reports, “President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will seek to mend their fractured relationship when they meet at the White House Monday, the first time they have talked face to face in more than a year. Tensions over the U.S.-backed nuclear deal with Iran continue to strain ties between the longtime allies. But there’s also little hope of progress on other matters, with U.S. officials downplaying the chance of a breakthrough in ongoing security talks and ruling out the prospect of a peace deal between Israelis and Palestinians before Obama leaves office in 14 months.”
ISIS joins the fray in Afghanistan. International Business Times’ Morgan Winsor reports, “Islamic State militants have joined Afghan Taliban insurgents in a splinter group led by Mullah Mohammad Rasool. The rival terrorists are battling Taliban fighters loyal to another leader in a southeastern province of Afghanistan, where about 50 men on both sides have been killed in two days . . . . Dissidents within the Taliban, unhappy with the appointment of Mullah Akhtar Mansoor as the new chief, formed a breakaway faction and elected Rasool, a veteran Taliban official, as its leader. The splinter group reportedly calls itself the High Council of Afghanistan Islamic Emirate. Divisions have long existed within the militant group, but it’s reportedly the first time a Taliban rivalry has erupted into open bloodshed.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Bomber contract contested. Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber reports, “Boeing and Lockheed Martin are protesting the U.S. Air Force’s $80 billion decision to buy a new stealth bomber from their competitor Northrop Grumman as ‘fundamentally flawed.’ The two titans of the defense industry argue that their bid was a better value and have asked the Government Accountability Office to review the Air Force’s decision. The Air Force sticks by its decision to choose Northrop to build what it calls the Long Range Strike-Bomber, or LRS-B.”
Airborne Electronic Warfare rise and fall. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “U.S. military spending on airborne electronic warfare (EW) will rise from $1.03 billion in 2014 to a peak of $1.09 billion in 2016 before declining to $950.6 million in 2019, predict analysts at market researcher Frost & Sullivan in London. Concerns for increasing airborne threats are prompting defense forces across the world to bolster their air defense capabilities with more airborne EW systems, Frost & Sullivan analysts say.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Security clearance system broken. The Hill’s Bradford Richardson reports, “Former Department of Defense officials are speaking out about a broken process to grant security clearances. During a ‘60 Minutes’ episode airing Sunday night, multiple officials pointed to several high-profile cases in which personnel should not have been granted security clearances, citing the cases of fugitive Edward Snowden, convicted spy Bradley Manning and mass murderer Aaron Alexis.”
Brennan hackers strike again. Wired’s Kim Zetter reports, “Hackers who broke into the personal email account of CIA Director John Brennan have struck again. This time the group, which goes by the name Crackas With Attitude, says it gained access to an even more important target—a portal for law enforcement that grants access to arrest records and other sensitive data, including what appears to be a tool for sharing information about active shooters and terrorist events, and a system for real-time chats between law enforcement agents.” See also, “CIA email hackers break into FBI law enforcement portal.”
Republican Guard hacks State. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “Hackers working for Iran’s Revolutionary Guards have in recent weeks intensified their hacking campaign against e-mail and social media accounts of Obama administration officials. U.S. officials say they believe the cyberattacks are linked to the arrest in Tehran of an Iranian-American businessman. The cyberattacks appear to target people working on Iran policy, with many of attacks focusing on personnel in the State Department’s Office of Iranian Affairs and the Bureau of Near Eastern Affairs.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Shutdown looms. “The Budget Bipartisan Act of 2015 is like a paper map for preventing government shutdown. While it lays out a clear route to where you want to go, it’s still depends on the user to get there. . . . But here’s where the potential for impasse materializes. All 12 bills have to pass both houses and be signed by the president to fund the government. But the most recent budget impasses have centered on what are called policy riders, or specific budget amendments within the bills that could court vetoes from the White House.”
Nauseated. “House Speaker Paul Ryan said Friday that President Obama’s decision to reject the Keystone XL pipeline was ‘sickening,’ even though it wasn’t a surprise. . . . Ryan was joined by other Republicans in their critique of Obama’s decision, including Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Obama’s Chance to Reinvent the U.S.-Israel Defense Relationship.” Defense One contributor Matt Spence argues, “[T]he United States and Israel are far closer than many realize on our core issues. Defense cooperation cannot do all the work to rebuild the relationship, but it will be a powerful start.”
“Safe havens are needed in Syria – more than ever.” Aljazeera contributor Hamish de Bretton-Gordon argues, “The tragedy of the Russian air crash and the deployment of US Special Forces to northern Syria might just bring a glimmer of hope to the Syrian people, who have already lost over 300,000 souls and have had to flee in the millions. But now, action is required – not prevarication and more dialogue.”
“The continuing Soviet collapse.” Reuters contributor John Lloyd argues, “Ukraine will need very large financial assistance for some years if it’s not to slip deeper into a corrupt authoritarianism — and from there, it would be only a step back to return to the embrace of ‘Old Mother Russia.’”
