FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Trust me. Contributor Jillian Hamilton writes, “If you’re only understanding towards candidates when you desperately need them, you won’t have goodwill or trust in any of your relationships. The employee/employer trust relationship begins in the hiring process, so it’s important to ensure candidates trust you, particularly in today’s competitive hiring market. . . . Take the time to earn a candidate’s trust with these five steps . . . .”
Life balance. Editor Lindy Kyzer writes, “Smartronix conducts regular employee surveys, noted Laurell Aiton, director of human resources at Smartronix. Employees cite the involvement of leadership, and the knowledge that leadership themselves care about work-life balance. . . . Learn more as company representatives talk about what makes Smartronix a unique place to work.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Decimation in Syria. Voice of America’s Ian Black reports, “Syria’s national wealth, infrastructure and institutions have been ‘almost obliterated’ by the ‘catastrophic impact’ of nearly five years of conflict, a new report has found. Fatalities caused by war, directly and indirectly, amount to 470,000, according to the Syrian Centre for Policy Research (SCPR) – a far higher total than the figure of 250,000 used by the United Nations until it stopped collecting statistics 18 months ago.” See also, “Powers divided over ceasefire.”
Integrating women. Military Times’ Leo Shane reports, “Military women are headed into combat posts. But that’s just the start of their fighting. As the military moves towards opening all jobs to all troops, regardless of gender, both advocates and critics on Capitol Hill are frustrated by the unanswered questions surrounding when the changes will happen, how they’ll be put in place and what side effects the massive cultural change will have on the armed services.”
Korea: this means war. Reuters’ Ju-Min Park reports, “North Korea said it was kicking out all South Koreans from the jointly run Kaesong industrial zone on Thursday, calling the South’s move to suspend operations, in retaliation for Sunday’s rocket launch by the North, a ‘declaration of war’. . . . Isolated North Korea regularly dismisses the South as a puppet of the United States and just as regularly accuses both of acts of war against it.” See also, “N. Korea orders takeover of inter-Korean factory” and “S. Koreans still at joint factory.”
Inside 9/11. The Long War Journal’s Thomas Joscelyn reports, “Sometime before his death in a US drone strike in June 2015, Nasir al Wuhayshi recorded an insider’s account of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. As the aide-de-camp to Osama bin Laden prior to the hijackings, Wuhayshi was well-placed to know such details. And al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), which Wuhayshi led until his demise, has now published a version of his ‘untold story.’”
CONTRACT WATCH
BAE wins sub contract. Defense News’ Andrew Chuter reports, “Design of a new fleet of Royal Navy nuclear missile-carrying submarines has advanced with the award to BAE Systems of a £201 million (US $290 million) contract to complete assessment phase work on the boat. The cash will allow BAE to develop the design of the submarine, including equipment and systems layout, develop-manufacturing processes, and undertake production of early prototypes . . . .”
Missile defense in Poland. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “U.S. Army missile-defense experts are taking another step toward installing ballistic missile defense capability in Poland with announcement Wednesday of a $182.8 million contract to Amec Foster Wheeler in Alpharetta, Ga. Officials of the European District of the Army Corps of Engineers in Wiesbaden, Germany, are asking Amec to perform site-preparation and construction work related to the European Phased Adaptive Approach Phase III Aegis Ashore land-based missile defense system to be built in Poland.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Senate got it right on CIA torture. Washington Post’s Adam Goldman reports, “The chief military prosecutor at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, has stipulated in a filing yet to be made public that the executive summary of a scathing Senate report on the CIA’s former interrogation program is accurate. The prosecutor’s statement puts him at odds with CIA Director John Brennan, former senior agency officials and congressional Republicans who have said the Senate Intelligence Committee document, released in December 2014, is strewn with errors and flawed in its conclusions.” See also, “CIA Director Melts Down.”
NSA reorganization. Washington Post’s Henry Farrell reports, “The National Security Agency has been having a tough time the last couple of years, as it takes the blame for widespread surveillance. It has just announced a major reorganization plan under which its Signals Intelligence (spying) and Information Assurance (domestic protection) directorates are going to be combined in a new Directorate of Operations. From an internal perspective, this is a more rational way to use resources.”
Skylark 3—long-view drone. Defense Update’s Tamir Eshel reports, “Elbit Systems will be unveiling its latest small, unmanned aerial system (UAS) – the Skylark 3 – at the Singapore Airshow 2016. Skylark 3 extends the company’s family of small UAS, introducing a larger platform designed to support the brigade level. Previous versions of the family include the Skylark 1-LEX and Skylark 2. Both, as the new one, are electrically-powered platforms.”
Anonymous tech recruiting. Fast Company contributor Lydia Dishman reports, “Launching out of beta today, Woo is aimed at luring one of the most in-demand yet passive job-seeking talents: the tech worker. Taking up eight of the top 25 jobs based on the number of open positions and earning potential, these positions range from data scientist to mobile developer, and recruiters are scrambling to fill them—especially if the company isn’t located in Silicon Valley or other tech hotbeds.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Budget budge. “Speaker Paul Ryan has sat quietly in budget meetings during the past few weeks, as lawmakers munch on snacks and nurse beers and sodas. Attendees say he’s been in ‘listening mode.’ But with a stubbornly large pocket of conservative Republicans hellbent on reversing recently increased spending levels, Ryan (R-Wis.) finally has a chance to change the governing dynamic that’s stunted progress in the House for a half-dozen years.”
GOP’s Frankensteins. “The Republican establishment is grappling with an uncomfortable reality: No single candidate is about to be crowned as its standard-bearer after New Hampshire’s primary. And that means Donald Trump and Ted Cruz could be sprinting toward the presidential nomination before a third rival gets out of the starting blocks. . . . It all adds up to an unappealing vista for establishment Republicans.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“The cheap, brutally effective medieval tactic shaping the Syrian civil war.” Reuters contributor Annia Ciezadlo argues, “The UN and foreign powers can restart the Geneva talks by forcing the Assad regime to end its sieges and allow humanitarian aid without restrictions to all parts of Syria. This won’t happen without sustained international pressure — not just from world leaders, but also the public. Otherwise, we’ll be looking at new photographs of starving children two years from now. The world cannot justify forgetting the starving people of Syria once again.”
“The Impending ‘Humanitarian Catastrophe’ in Aleppo.” Lawfare contributor Jack Goldsmith argues, “Any action now to save Aleppo would be militarily complex at least, and more likely hugely militarily fraught. President was disinclined to use military force to help Syrian civilians before Russia’s involvement. He will certainly now – in ‘measuring our interests against the need for action,’ as he said in 2011 – be even less inclined to do so now.”
“Syrians Waiting in Vain for the World.” Defense One contributor Gayle Lemmon argues, “For the world’s sake, let’s hope Munich offers a breakthrough on the humanitarian front, or at least a chance for Syrians inside their country to see a break in fighting. Without international action, Syrians will continue to be injured and killed and forced into flight. And the world will watch the number of refugees knocking on its doors in search of an escape from the brutality, hunger, and bombing climb even higher — if they survive.”
“Assad, Putin and the carnage in Syria.” Chicago Tribune’s Editorial Board argues, “An Assad triumph over the rebels would leave only one major opponent standing — Islamic State. That would force the U.S. and its allies to choose between Islamic State or the Assad regime — or stay on the sidelines. The choice is obvious, if painful. Game, set, match — Assad.”
