FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Your career: taking control. Contributor David Brown writers, “At one point or another we’ve all found ourselves ‘friend-zoned’ by our jobs. We’re good at what we do and secure in our position, but somehow sidelined out of the career progression track. . . . Disruption is not for the timid, but no great thing is. It’s your career. It’s your life. Why spend it as an automaton? The opportunities are out there, and might not even require leaving your office. Take them.”
Transition tips. Editor Lindy Kyzer’s interview with Troy Steward: “Sometimes the least expected career transition is the best fit. . . . [Troy] shared his military transition tips, including why making the career switch from U.S. Army Infantry to IT was the right choice for him, and what advice he shares with other transitioning service members.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
France at war. Reuters’ Paul Taylor reports, “France carried out fresh air strikes on Islamic State bases in northern Syria on Tuesday as police made 128 overnight raids across France in the hunt for accomplices to Friday’s Paris attacks claimed by the Islamist group. French warplanes targeted a command center and a recruitment center for jihadists in the Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa in the second consecutive night of strikes ordered by President Francois Hollande . . . .”
ISIS took down Metrojet Airbus. AP’s Lynn Berry reports, “A homemade explosive device brought down a Russian passenger plane over Egypt last month, the head of Russia’s FSB security service said Tuesday, telling Russian President Vladimir Putin it’s now clear the bombing that killed 224 people was a ‘terrorist’ act. The Islamic State group has claimed responsibility for downing the Russian plane in written statements, as well as video and audio messages posted on the Internet following the crash.”
Syrian solution. Christian Science Monitor’s Sara Miller Llana reports, “US-led efforts to eradicate IS were complicated after Russia intervened six weeks ago, with an expeditionary force of about 50 attack aircraft and supporting troops. But there is a growing consensus, given the reach and sophistication of IS terror, that Russia has helped change the diplomatic conversation, especially the idea that overthrowing Assad is an impossible immediate goal.”
Surrender in Sangin. The Long War Journal’s Bill Roggio reports, “Sixty-five Afghan soldiers and several of their officers laid down their weapons two days ago and surrendered to the Taliban in the embattled district of Sangin in the southern province of Helmand. Some reports suggested that the Afghan troops defected to the Taliban, but the jihadist group has indicated that the troops merely laid down their arms. The Afghan company’s surrender was confirmed by both Afghan officials and the Taliban.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Commercial off-the-shelf. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS)-based computing, data storage, security, networking, and collaboration tools is accelerating in U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) command, control, communications, computers, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (C4ISR) applications, market analysts say. Spending for COTS components in military C4ISR will increase over the next five years, despite a flat market for military C4ISR applications overall, say analysts at market researcher Frost & Sullivan in Mountain View, Calif.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
ISIS’ comms platform. Vice News’ Avi Asher-Schapiro reports, “Over the past year, Telegram has become one of the most popular messaging apps around the world, even challenging WhatsApp in the free international chat market. It’s also emerging as the primary platform for videos and official statements by the Islamic State. Though the group has long had a strong Twitter presence, well-known IS accounts are constantly being shut down. In Telegram, IS found a much friendlier platform.” See also, “Paris Is A ‘Wakeup Call’ To Europe On Encryption.”
Anonymous unleashed. Christian Science Monitor’s Molly Jackson reports, “The hacking group Anonymous redoubled its cyberwar against the Islamic State (IS) ‘to defend our values and our freedom’ after Friday’s terrorist attacks in Paris, which killed 129 civilians as they enjoyed a soccer match, dinner at a café or a rock concert. . . . But their threats to IS may pose special difficulties, or opportunities, for the hackers themselves and the United States government.”
The spying question. International Business Times’ Paul McDougall reports, “The Paris terror attacks have triggered calls to extend a highly contentious program under which the National Security Agency conducts sweeping surveillance of Americans’ phone records and other electronic communications. Backers of the campaign to renew the Patriot Act’s Section 215, which is set to expire on Nov. 30, say the U.S. needs to step up security measures, not relax them, in light of evidence that the Islamic State group intends to bring its campaign of terror to the U.S.”
Call for computer scientists. Nextgov’s Jack Moore reports, “The FBI continues to struggle to recruit and hire top-flight cybersecurity talent, warns a new assessment from the Justice Department’s inspector general. The department has installed cyber task forces at each of the FBI’s 56 field offices and three years ago launched an effort, the Next Generation Cyber Initiative, to boost the size and skills of the department’s digital-savvy workforce.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Bella-cosity. “President Barack Obama denounced the terrorist attacks in Paris as ‘heinous’ and ISIL as ‘the face of evil.’ But he seemed angriest when he addressed Republican critics who want him to show more anger. ‘Some of them seem to think that if I were just more bellicose in expressing what we’re doing, that that would make a difference,’ Obama told reporters in Antalya, Turkey, ‘because that seems to be the only thing that they’re doing, is talking as if they’re tough.’”
Refuge. “Lawmakers from both parties are calling on President Obama to halt his plans to bring thousands of Syrian refugees to the United States, and are pledging legislative action and even limits on federal funding if he refuses. Republican were quick to demand that Obama to hold off on the plan to resettle 10,000 Syrian migrants in the wake of the deadly terrorist attacks in Paris last week. At least one of the terrorists is believed to have been a Syrian refugee, who entered the European Union through Greece.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Why Did ISIS Attack Paris?” The Atlantic contributor William McCants argues, “Given the political instability in the Middle East and North Africa that has fueled the rise of the Islamic State, the countries on its enemies list will likely be weathering the storm for a long time to come. But the best way to do this is to find out why it’s raining in the first place, and how best to find shelter.”
“France Just Can’t Put Enough Boots on the Ground to Wipe Out the Islamic State.” Vice News contributor Ryan Faith argues, “If Hollande pursues a very aggressive intelligence effort (which he very likely will), along with increased Special Forces on the ground in Syria, and some photogenic airstrikes, he’ll probably cover his bases about as well as can reasonably be expected. . . . However, the reality is that, while some sort of very visible show of force could hurt IS and hurt it bad, Paris just doesn’t command enough boots on the ground to stomp out IS for good.”
“What would it take for U.S. boots to hit the ground in Syria?” Reuters contributor Peter Van Buren argues, “Scenarios that put boots on the ground in Syria/Iraq are easy to foresee, and the possible strategies are clear enough to speculate on. But how to deal with the aftermath is what really matters, and what is the plan for that?”
