Hump Day Highlights

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

Intelligent searches. Editor Lindy Kyzer writes, “CAAT is a conceptual search tool that’s based on Latent Semantic Indexing (LSI) technology, which means it can use a phrase, sentence or entire document as the query to find the most relevant information in vast amounts of unstructured information. It’s the same search technology used by the Intelligence Community, now available to ClearanceJobs employers via the IntelliSearch™ candidate profile search tool.”

Invested in infrastructure. Contributor Christopher Burgess writes, “We flick the switch and the lights should come on, turn the tap and water we can drink comes out, turn on the burner and we can fry the egg, pick up the phone and have dial tone and open our browser and connect to the rest of the world. All of this comes to us via an established infrastructure which may have been designed years in the past and cobbled together as science and technology advances. . . . The path ahead is one where investment in information security infrastructure may truly make the difference between being able to keep the lights on or going dark.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

Budget by the numbers. Defense Media Activity’s Jim Garamone reports, “The fiscal year 2017 defense budget request takes the long view of funding the department . . . . The request totals $523.9 billion in the so-called base budget and $58.8 billion in the overseas contingency operations fund, for a total of $582.7 billion. The budget topline sustains the national security and defense strategies, Work said, and the figures conform to the budget levels found in the bipartisan budget agreement signed in November.” See also, “Budget would grow Federal R&D by 4 percent” and “$18B Over FYDP for Third Offset.”

Triton Island FONOP. National Interest’s Sam Bateman reports, “The United States has conducted another freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in the South China Sea. On January 30, the guided-missile destroyer USS Curtis Wilbur sailed within twelve nautical miles of Triton Island, a naturally formed feature, in the Paracel islands in the South China Sea. That group is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam but is occupied by China.”

Black Sea strategies. Center for European Policy Analysis’ Janusz Bugajski and Peter B. Doran report, “President Vladimir Putin’s Kremlin has sought to reverse the transformations of the post-Cold War era during which Russia lost its satellites, withdrew militarily from Central and Eastern Europe (CEE), forfeited its regional predominance, and curtailed its international power projection. Moscow’s primary strategic objective under the Putin presidency is to create a Eurasian ‘pole of power’ or a bloc of states under predominant Russian influence that will necessitate containing, undermining and reversing NATO influence throughout Europe’s east.”

Korea’s silent satellite. Reuters’ Andrea Shalal and David Brunnstrom report, “North Korea’s recently launched satellite has achieved stable orbit but is not believed to have transmitted data back to Earth, U.S. sources said of a launch that has so far failed to convince experts that Pyongyang has significantly advanced its rocket technology. . . . North Korea continues to export ballistic-missile technology to the Middle East and ship arms and materiel to Africa in violation of U.N. restrictions.” See also, “S. Korea to halt work at joint industrial park with N. Korea.”

CONTRACT WATCH

AI is in. Markets and Markets reports, “The artificial intelligence market is estimated to grow from USD 419.7 Million in 2014 to USD 5.05 Billion by 2020 . . . . With the rise in adoption of AI in the media & advertising, retail, finance, and healthcare sectors, the machine learning and natural language processing technologies are expected to play a key role in propelling the growth of the AI market in the next five years.”

Collaboration and innovation. Government Executive’s Charles S. Clark reports, “Federal research and development funds have been slashed by 15 percent since 2010, particularly in defense, which leaves today’s agency acquisition professionals more dependent than ever on industry partners for innovation . . . . Examples of successful collaboration include the Veterans Affairs Department’s applied physiologist at a New York hospital who tested a bionic walking-assistance system created by an Israeli company that will soon allow U.S. veterans with spinal cord injuries to wear a robotic exoskeleton.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

Clapper’s “litany of doom.” Vice News’ Tess Owen reports, “Director of National Intelligence James Clapper presented what he described as a ‘litany of doom’ at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing on Tuesday, detailing the various national security threats currently faced by the United States. ‘Unpredictable instability is the new normal,’ Clapper said. ‘It’s a cliche but it’s true — in my 50-plus years in the intelligence business, I cannot recall [facing] a more diverse array of challenges and crises than we do today.’”

Carter’s arsenal plane. National Interest’s David Axe reports, “The U.S. military is considering developing a so-called ‘arsenal plane’ to accompany stealth fighters into combat, hauling large numbers of munitions in order to significantly boost the stealthy planes’ firepower. The arsenal-plane concept, announced by Defense Secretary Ashton Carter in a February 2 speech previewing the Pentagon’s 2017 budget proposal, could help solve one of the U.S. military’s most intractable military problems—its lack of ‘magazine depth’ . . . .”

Obama’s high tech budget. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “In President Obama’s final defense spending request, the Air Force looks beyond ISIS toward the rising technological capabilities of China and Russia, asking Congress for more money for intercontinental ballistic missile modernization and long-range striking, new semi-autonomous robotic missiles, offensive cyber operations, and lasers.” See also, “$3.1B cybersecurity revolving fund.”

CISO search. Nextgov staff report, “As part of a National Cybersecurity Action Plan unveiled today, the Obama administration announced plans to hire the first-ever federal chief information security officer. The new federal CISO, which will be ‘the recognized federal expert and authority’ on the government’s cybersecurity policies . . . . The CISO will report to Federal CIO Tony Scott.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

Berating Brennan. “Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) on Tuesday berated CIA Director John Brennan for his failure to acknowledge the agency’s spying on Senate staffers. ‘When you’re talking about spying on a committee responsible for overseeing your agency, in my view that undermines the very checks and balances that protect our democracy and it’s unacceptable in a free society,’ Wyden said during a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing on global threats. Brennan pushed back on Wyden’s characterization of the 2014 incident as ‘spying’ and the two exchanged testy words.”

Bump up the budget. “Republicans criticized the Pentagon’s fiscal 2017 budget request released Tuesday, saying it is ‘inadequate’ to address the threats facing the military. Even though the administration followed the top numbers agreed upon by lawmakers in the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2015, members of Congress said the top line in the president’s request should be higher to reflect current threats that have changed since the deal was reached last year.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

Congress Must Stop the Decline of Our Military Readiness.” Defense One contributor Sen. Tom Cotton argues, “We cannot afford to waste time debating base defense funds versus overseas contingency operations, we need to ensure our military is prepared to stop our enemies and protect our national security.”

Hong Kong’s lessons in coping with China.” The Christian Science Monitor’s Editorial Board argues, “Instead of resorting to violence, China and Hong Kong need more level-headed listening. And as China flexes its muscles in front of the world, more eyes should be on how Hong Kongers find the best path to keep their freedoms.”

I Miss Barack Obama.” New York Times contributor David Brooks argues, “Obama radiates an ethos of integrity, humanity, good manners and elegance that I’m beginning to miss, and that I suspect we will all miss a bit, regardless of who replaces him.”

THE FUNNIES

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Stalemate

Staying on message

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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.