It’s Friday & This Time Last Year: Air Dominance Initiative, Sequestration, Hagel Retrospective

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

Cleared divorce. Contributor Sean Bigley advises, “As I have cautioned previously, the information an applicant divulges – and the information investigators obtain – in security clearance background investigations can be used against the applicant for a variety of purposes. Most obvious, perhaps, is in a criminal case for false official statements or previously undiscovered criminal conduct. Less obvious: divorce and child custody cases.”

Policy podcast. Editor Lindy Kyzer offers, “Recently announced security clearance policy changes include the creation of a new agency to take on background investigations, and regular social media monitoring of already-cleared personnel. We unpack those changes in our latest Security Clearance Careers podcast.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

Information warfare. Center for European Policy Analysis’ Ben Nimmo explains, “Sputnik—a subsidiary of the state-owned media conglomerate Rossiya Segodnya—describes itself as a ‘provider of alternative news content,’ a telling phrase that implicitly exonerates it from the need to offer balanced coverage or to report mainstream events, actors and opinions. Based on a study of its online publications, its modus operandi in reporting on each country in the CEE region is to select a small number of anti-establishment politicians and give them substantial coverage, while reporting little or nothing about the representatives of other parties or points of view.”

Food warfare. AP’s Zeina Karam reports, “In a Middle East torn apart by war and conflict, fighters are increasingly using food as a weapon of war. Millions of people across countries like Syria, Yemen and Iraq are gripped by hunger, struggling to survive with little help from the outside world. Children suffer from severe malnutrition, their parents often having to beg or sell possessions to get basic commodities including water, medicine and fuel.”

Korea flexing. Reuters’ Nobuhiro Kubo reports, “Japan has put its military on alert for a possible North Korean ballistic missile launch after indications it is preparing for a test firing . . . . A missile test coming so soon after the nuclear test would raise concern that North Korea plans to fit nuclear warheads on its missiles, giving it the capability to launch a strike against rival South Korea, Japan and possibly targets as far away as the U.S. West Coast.” See also, “US to deploy missile attack drones in South Korea” and “Resistance for tough sanctions.”

Child jihadis. The Long War Journal’s Bill Roggio and Caleb Weiss reports, “The Islamic State’s branch in the Afghanistan-Pakistan region, called Wilayat Khorasan or Khorasan province, is training children to wage jihad. It is unclear where the children’s training center is located, but it is likely situated in Afghanistan’s eastern province of Nangarhar. The Islamic State showcased the training of young boys in a video entitled ‘Cubs of the Caliphate Camp.’”

CONTRACT WATCH

GSA goes public. FCW’s Mark Rockwell reports, “The General Services Administration is set to open its government-facing Acquisition Gateway to public users in the coming days, allowing contractors and industry acquisition professionals similar access to the aggregated acquisition data that federal acquisition workers now have through the portal. The gateway is a key to the category management practices that the White House hopes will help the federal government act like large corporations do to get a better handle on the ocean of goods and services it buys every year.”

Finns’ AMVs to UAE. Defense News’ Awad Mustafa reports, “The United Arab Emirates armed forces has ordered Patria AMV 8×8 armored wheeled vehicles. . . . Patria has been delivering systems to the UAE since 2008, where the first batch of 8×8 AMV vehicles were acquired by the UAE armed forces. In 2009 the UAE naval forces acquired 12 new patrol boats and retrofitted another 12 boats in their fleet with the Patria Nemo Navy mortar system, Mika Kari . . . .”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

Firewall faults. Nextgov’s Aliya Sternstein reports, “A firewall run by the Department of Homeland Security meant to detect and prevent nation-state hacks against the government functions ineffectively, according to a sanitized version of a secret federal audit. EINSTEIN relies on patterns of attacks, called signatures, to spot suspicious traffic, but it does not scan for 94 percent of commonly known vulnerabilities or check web traffic for malicious content.”

NSA on hacking. San Francisco Chronicle’s Sean Sposito reports, “When the National Security Agency hacks into a computer network, it generally relies on tried-and-true methods widely known in the security industry. Rob Joyce, the NSA’s chief of tailored access operations, said as much Wednesday to a room full of systems administrators and security engineers at the Enigma Conference at the Hyatt Regency in San Francisco.” See also, “Did a NSA chief just tell us how to avoid NSA spying?” and “How to protect your network.”

Hacking Israel. Reuters’ Dan Williams reports, “The United States and Britain have monitored secret sorties and communications by Israel’s air force in a hacking operation dating back to 1998, according to documents attributed to leaks by former U.S. spy agency contractor Edward Snowden. Israel voiced disappointment at the disclosures, published on Friday in at least two media outlets and which might further strains ties with Washington after years of feuding over strategies on Iran and the Palestinians.”

Taking on ISIS in Libya. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “Four years after the toppling of Col. Muammar Qaddafi, he United States is mulling new military campaign in Libya to help stabilize the country. Peter Cook, a Pentagon spokesman, on Wednesday said officials are currently ‘looking at military options’ to stop the Islamic State militant group from making further gains in the North African country.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

There goes the judge. “Even if a Democrat wins the White House and nominates him and the Senate would confirm him, President Obama probably isn’t interested in a lifetime appointment to the Supreme Court as his next act, a White House spokesman said Thursday. ‘My guess is that his aspirations for his post-presidency extend beyond a Supreme Court appointment,’ White House spokesman Josh Earnest said, responding to speculation sparked by an Iowan who asked Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton if she would appoint the Obama if she succeeds him in the White House.”

Debatable. “There was a Donald Trump-sized void in the Republican debate lineup tonight. The New York billionaire and Republican front-runner followed through on his boycott of the event, sponsored by Fox News, and held his own rally nearby. Without him there, the sparring was gentler and even, at times, friendly. Here’s a rundown of the most memorable exchanges . . . .”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

Libya may become the next front in war against the Islamic State.” Stars & Stripes contributor John Vandiver argues, “While questions remain about how enduring a recent U.N.-brokered deal between Libya’s rival governments will be, the still-fragile political bargain could be a trigger for more Western involvement.”

Why the UN Sat on Its Hands During 5 Years of War in Syria.” Defense One contributors Stewart M. Patrick argues The Security Council is effective at protecting and advancing the interests of the P5. But, intended to provide order over justice, it fails those caught in the middle of great power conflict. That’s not just a failure of performance. It’s a failure by design.”

Interviewing job candidates.” Fast Company’s Molly Petrilla writes, “What do hiring managers and investigative reporters have in common? More than you may realize. Whether out in the field or inside a fluorescent-lit office, they both need to open interviewees up quickly, ask the tough questions, and suss out deception. But while reporters have ample opportunities to hone their interview skills, as a manager you may only do it a few times a year.”

THE FUNNIES

Equus.

Ghost of Elections Present.

Ghost of Elections Past.

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Ed Ledford enjoys the most challenging, complex, and high stakes communications requirements. His portfolio includes everything from policy and strategy to poetry. A native of Asheville, N.C., and retired Army Aviator, Ed’s currently writing speeches in D.C. and working other writing projects from his office in Rockville, MD. He loves baseball and enjoys hiking, camping, and exploring anything. Follow Ed on Twitter @ECLedford.