FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Career paths. Contributor Peter Suciu writes, “The slowdown in clearance checks shouldn’t deter those seeking government or contractor positions. Patience can pay off. Government agencies and contractors continue to offer excellent jobs with good salaries that go with them. In 2016 both the government and contracting companies continue to seek qualified, well trained, security-cleared candidates, even getting that job still takes time. Determining which route might be the best fit is also up for debate. . . .”
Love your job? Editor Lindy Kyzer offers, “It’s an important question. Here are several questions to help you decide if the job or career you’re currently pursuing is right for you.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Korea launches. Reuters’ Andrea Shalal and David Brunnstrom report, “North Korea’s latest rocket launch might kick off a buildup of U.S. missile defense systems in Asia, U.S. officials and missile defense experts said, something that could further strain U.S.-China ties and also hurt relations between Beijing and Seoul. North Korea says it put a satellite into orbit on Sunday, but the United States and its allies see the launch as cover for Pyongyang’s development of ballistic missile technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear weapon.” See also, “Here’s What We Know About North Korea’s Rocket.”
Fight for Aleppo. The Long War Journal’s Thomas Joscelyn reports, “Bashar al Assad’s regime, backed by Russian airstrikes, Iranian-sponsored Shiite militias and Hezbollah, launched a major offensive in Aleppo earlier this month. The fight for the province is likely the most important battle in Syria since early last year, when the Jaysh al Fateh coalition, led by Al Nusrah and Ahrar al Sham (an al Qaeda-linked jihadist group) swept through the neighboring Idlib province. . . . The Syrian government claims to have made gains in pursuit of this objective in recent days.”
ISIS’ shrinking ranks. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “ISIS fighters in Syria and Iraq has fallen from about 31,000 to 25,000. Senior U.S. officials point to battlefield casualties and desertions as the main reasons for the roughly 20 percent decline, adding that the intelligence report offers evidence that the U.S.-led campaign, which relies mostly on air attacks on ISIS targets, was working.” See also, “Saudis to Contribute More.”
Budget battles. Defense News’ Joe Gould reports, “The Senate’s No. 2 Democrat says if House Republicans follow through on threats to raise defense spending through the wartime account known as OCO, they can expect resistance from Democrats.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Hail CESARS. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Electro-optical experts at L-3 Cincinnati Electronics in Mason, Ohio, are enhancing an experimental U.S. Navy wide field-of-view target detection and tracking shipboard defense system under terms of an $9 million contract . . . . CESARS is a research project to develop electro-optical shipboard defense system to protect surface warships from anti-ship missiles, fast attack craft, fast inshore attack craft, and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs).”
Contracted clearance requirements. Nextgov’s Jack Moore reports, “Contractors that conduct background investigations for the federal government will have to report information security incidents to the Office of Personnel Management within half an hour, are required to use smartcards as a second layer of security when logging on to agency networks and must agree to let OPM inspect their systems at any time. Those are new requirements OPM has written into draft contracting documents . . . .”
Acquisition Gateway opens. Federal Times’ Carten Cordell reports, “The Acquisition Gateway, an online portal to provide contracting officers with an information resource to help make contracting easier, has been a pet project for the GSA since 2014 and offers procurement officials several pages of information on service categories called hallways. The Gateway also offers feds the ability to connect with other acquisition officers and find research and advice on different contract vehicles.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
NSA21. Baltimore Sun’s Ian Duncan reports, “The National Security Agency is about to launch its most ambitious reorganization in years, bringing together teams charged with gathering intelligence around the world with those tasked with defending U.S. secrets. The plan, which the agency calls NSA21, is expected to be detailed publicly next week. . . .”
Cybercrime ring cracked in Moscow. Reuters’ Joseph Menn reports, “Russian authorities in November raided offices associated with a Moscow film distribution and production company as part of a crackdown on one of the world’s most notorious financial hacking operations . . . . Cybersecurity experts said a password-stealing software program known as Dyre—believed to be responsible for at least tens of millions of dollars in losses at financial institutions including Bank of America Corp (BAC.N) and JPMorgan Chase & Co (JPM.N)—has not been deployed since the time of the raid.”
Cyberthreat report. FierceGovernmentIT’s Eli Richman reports, “Global conflicts have emerged as the preeminent driver of cybersecurity threats, eclipsing attacks by individual, private actors that were often driven by financial motives, according to Crowdstrike’s 2015 Global Threat Report. . . . The report took a tactical approach to the geopolitical cyberthreats, breaking down the geographic areas responsible for different threats and explaining the motives, operating methods and tactics for each one.” Read the 2015 Global Threat Report.
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Won’t budge. “President Obama is expected to release his final budget plan on Tuesday, but Republicans on Capitol Hill are indicating that they won’t give it much thought. The chairmen of the House and Senate Budget Committees issued a joint statement late last week announcing that, breaking with precedent, they wouldn’t invite the Office of Management and Budget director to testify before their respective panels to discuss the president’s budget.”
Budget? What budget. “The crumbling relationship between Obama and Republicans in Congress has hit a new low with the anticipated arrival of Obama’s fiscal 2017 budget, which the GOP plans to ignore completely. . . . Republicans and Obama have struggled unsuccessfully to bridge huge differences when it comes to fiscal policy, and they’ve never endorsed an Obama administration budget.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Towards a New Equilibrium: Minimising the risks of NATO and Russia’s new military posture.” European Leadership Network contributor Łukasz Kulesa argues, “With the tensions between NATO and Russia under control, diplomatic space may emerge for charting the way out of the wider Russia-West crisis over Ukraine, and for addressing more effectively common challenges such like terrorism.”
“Russia having success in hybrid war against Germany.” Reuters contributor Lucien Kim argues, “Disinformation and subversion as weapons of war are as old as catapults and cavalry. The Kremlin’s advantage in the information age is that all of Russia’s major media outlets are under its control, allowing it to hammer its audience with one, unified message.”
“Best practices to refresh government operations.” Nextgov contributor Tim Conway argues, “Having a comprehensive strategy that will meet business needs without disrupting operations or breaking the bank will win over decision makers with a vision to solve IT problems. A modernization investment can yield significant results by working closely with leadership and defining success together.”
“Interview questions.” Fast Company contributor Heather Finn writes, “The good news is that hiring managers really are asking questions like this in interviews today, and while they might catch you off-guard, they’ll also give you a chance to loosen up, and the interviewer a chance to learn more about the real you. So, take some time to think about the interview questions that you’ll actually enjoy answering . . . .”
