FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
CAC appeal. Contributor and counsel Sean Bigley advises, “If your CAC has been denied or revoked you are entitled to be represented by an attorney at your own expense. Before deciding to represent yourself, you should consider the ramifications of losing your case: loss of your job, loss of your livelihood, and the inability to work in most federal employee or contractor positions for at least a full year. As with security clearances, many of these cases can be won with a nominal investment of finances and time.”
Secret Service secret service. Contributor David Brown explains, “The United States Secret Service recruits widely, though it doesn’t hire many people. Those who make it past the battery of mental, physical, and psychological tests must then face a grueling pipeline of training centers that will leave them physically battered, and ever in danger of washing out. . . . Here are 10 things you might not know about Secret Service recruitment and training.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Russian pilot “safe and sound.” AP’s Albert Aji reports, “A Russian military pilot whose plane was shot down by Turkey and crashed in Syria arrived on Wednesday at an air base in Latakia province after being rescued by a Syrian army commando unit . . . . [T]he man was rescued in a 12-hour operation which ended in the early hours on Wednesday and is now ‘safe and sound’ at Russia’s air base in the government-controlled area in Syria.”
Escalation: Turkey shoot fallout. Reuters’ Tulay Karadeniz and Maria Kiselyova report, “Turkey shot down a Russian warplane near the Syrian border on Tuesday, saying the jet had violated its air space, in one of the most serious publicly acknowledged clashes between a NATO member country and Russia for half a century. Russian President Vladimir Putin said the plane had been attacked when it was 1 km (0.62 mile) inside Syria and warned of ‘serious consequences’ for what he termed a stab in the back administered by ‘the accomplices of terrorists’.”
Lessons learned from ISIS fight. The Christian Science Monitor’s Howard LaFranchi reports, “Turkey’s shoot-down of a Russian fighter jet that it says strayed into its airspace from Syria Tuesday demonstrates why building a broad international coalition to destroy the self-proclaimed Islamic State is so difficult. Well over a year after President Obama announced creation of a coalition of more than 50 countries designed to ‘degrade and ultimately destroy’ IS, also known as ISIS, there still is no effective alliance of major powers.”
Jaysh al Fateh counteroffensive. The Long War Journal’s Thomas Joscelyn reports, “The Jaysh al Fateh coalition, which is led by jihadist groups, claims to have overrun several towns and villages in the southern part of Syria’s Aleppo province in the past 24 hours. . . . The alliance launched the counteroffensive in the past few days in an attempt to thwart the advances of Bashar al Assad’s regime and its allies, including Russia, which has been bombing targets in Aleppo as part of its air campaign. The Sunni jihadists from Al Nusrah and Ahrar al Sham have been battling their Shiite counterparts from various militias, which are backed by Iran and Assad.”
ISIS tunnel rats in Iraq. AP’s Balint Szlanko reports, “Under the Iraqi town of Sinjar, Islamic State group militants built a network of tunnels, complete with sleeping quarters, wired with electricity and fortified with sandbags. There, they had boxes of U.S.-made ammunition, medicines and copies of the Quran stashed on shelves.”
Warthog wins, again. Reuters’ contributor David Axe writes, “The A-10 is a product of the 1940s. During World War II, the German and Soviet air force both fielded warplanes specifically designed for attacking enemy ground forces in close proximity to friendly troops. . . . in 1973, selected the A-10 from Fairchild Republic, a now-defunct airplane manufacturer. Today Northrop Grumman owns the A-10 design, which stands out among other warplane models for its thick construction, high-mounted engines (to protect them from ground fire) and huge, nose-mounted 30-millimeter cannon, which can spew one-pound, armor-piercing projectiles at a rate of roughly 60 per second.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Amphibious Combat Vehicle: Marines pick BAE & SAIC. Defense News’ Jen Judson reports, “BAE’s contract is for $103.8 million, while SAIC’s is for $121.5 million. Each company will build 16 eight-wheeled vehicles to be tested over the next two years to replace the Marine Corps’ aging Vietnam-era amphibious assault vehicle. The service will then pick a winner in 2018 to deliver 204 vehicles by 2020. The initial contract covers building 13 vehicles due to available funding and then the Marine Corps will exercise options to build three more vehicles.” See also, “BAE & SAIC Win Amphibious Combat Vehicle: It Swims!”
Raytheon’s Exoatmospheric Kill Vehicle. Also from Defense News and Jen Judson, “The three companies designing a kill vehicle that can take out multiple warheads with a single interceptor have completed their first program planning reviews with the Missile Defense Agency, marking a critical step toward determining key elements of the designs. Raytheon, Lockheed Martin and Boeing were all awarded $9.7 million contracts in August 2015 by the Missile Defense Agency to work on designs.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Federal cybersecurity failures. FierceGovernmentIT’s Chris Nehls reports, “Most sector-specific agencies of the federal government still have significant steps to take in mitigating cybersecurity risks that face key infrastructure, according to a recent report issued by the Government Accountability Office. In its study (pdf) of 15 sector-specific agencies, or SSAs, for the House Committee on Homeland Security, the GAO found that 12 had not identified cybersecurity promotion incentives as proposed in the National Infrastructure Protection Plan, or NIPP, issued by the Homeland Security Department in December 2013. These agencies have formed a working group to identify proper incentives.”
E-3 Sentry on the job. Defence Talk reports, “The long-awaited, highly anticipated deployment of the E-3 Sentry (AWACS) Block 40/45 is finally over, with the deployment of the first upgraded weapon system to a combat theater of operations. The first E-3G arrived in Southwest Asia Nov. 18, marking the deployment of the most comprehensive modification to the weapon system in its 38-year history. The changes improved communications, computer processing power, threat tracking and other capabilities.”
BioWatch failures. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “A Government Accountability office (GAO) report found that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) lacks reliable information about BioWatch Gen-2’s technical capabilities to detect a biological attack, and therefore lacks the basis for informed cost-benefit decisions about upgrades to the system.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Turkey talk. “President Obama and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan agreed on the need to reduce tensions after Turkish jets shot down a Russian warplane flying near the country’s border with Syria, the White House said Tuesday. Obama voiced support ‘for Turkey’s right to defend its sovereignty’ during a phone call with Erdogan, according to a White House statement.”
Parody. “Presidential candidate Ted Cruz, R-Tex., criticized President Obama for being ‘out of touch’ for comments he made Tuesday suggesting that stopping climate change would send a strong message to the Islamic State that Western values cannot be deterred by terrorism.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“The War on ISIS: What’s the Endgame?” The Atlantic contributor Dominic Tierney argues, “Achieving real success means considering both urgent needs and ultimate goals. The objective is not just to overthrow ISIS, but also to build a new and durable order. Either create a plan to win the peace, or don’t fight at all. ISIS shouldn’t be the only side thinking about the end times.”
“Who Are those Syrian Refugees Really?” Lawfare contributor Ammar Abdulhamid argues, “Agreeing on a clear policy towards the Syrian refugees and the Syrian conflict, one that is commensurate with European interests and values alike would constitute a significant step in this regard. In moments of crises, we all tend to show our true colors.”
“When the spooks get it wrong.” Washington Times’ Editorial Board argues, “’Intelligence’ is, after all, the work of fallible men and women who are neither 10 feet tall nor equipped with a reliable sixth sense. . . . It’s important above all to see that their work reaches the ultimate consumer undiluted by “instructions” from a palace guard.”
“Jerks in the workplace.” Fast Company contributor Michael Grothaus writes, “Recently I had to deal with a workplace jerk who was a 12 on the 1 to 10 Jerk Scale. This experience was such a nightmare it actually kept me up for several nights in a row, and its resolution wasn’t ideal for anyone. So I decided to talk to two relationship experts to find out how to better deal with workplace jerks in the future. . . .”
