Tuesday’s Tops

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

Adventure jobs. Contributor David Brown writes, “If you hold a security clearance, there’s a good chance you’ve heard rumors that the world is an unstable place, and that terrible things are happening everywhere. Where American forces operate, however, American contractors operate, and that means jobs.”

Financial fix. Contributor Peter Suciu writes, “Financial issues were the biggest cause of clearance denial in 2015 . . . . Whatever the reason for the debt, there are a number of things one should do when debt could be a major red flag prior to a clearance review. The first thing is to understand why you have the debt and then getting it under control.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

Back in the fight. Vice News’ Jason Leopold reports, “The Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI) on Monday released its latest biannual report on Guantanamo recidivists—detainees who the intelligence community says are confirmed or suspected of re-engaging in terrorist activity after being released from the detention facility. The new report says that as of January 15, 2016 the number of Guantanamo detainees released by the Obama administration suspected of re-engaging has doubled from six to 12 since the last recidivism report was released six months ago.” See also, “Ex-Guantanamo prisoners suspected of rejoining militants increases.”

Striking al Shabab. The New York Times’ Helene Cooper reports, “American aircraft on Saturday struck a training camp in Somalia belonging to the Islamist militant group the Shabab, the Pentagon said, killing about 150 fighters who were assembled for what American officials believe was a graduation ceremony and prelude to an imminent attack against American troops and their allies in East Africa. . . . the strike was carried out by drones and American aircraft, which dropped a number of precision-guided bombs and missiles on the field where the fighters were gathered.” See also, “US drone strike in Somalia kills over 150 Al Shabab militants,” “US strike kills at least 150 Shebab fighters,” and “Somali intelligence cooperated.”

Seoul sanctions Pyongyang. AP’s Hyung-Jin Kim reports, “South Korea said Tuesday it is imposing unilateral sanctions on North Korea over its recent nuclear test and rocket launch, including a ban on financial dealings with 40 individuals and 30 entities. The announcement came a day after North Korea warned of pre-emptive nuclear strikes in response to the start of U.S.-South Korean military drills it views as a rehearsal for invasion. This year’s annual drills, set to run until late April, are the largest ever.”

Iran fires ballistic missiles. Reuters reports, “Iran test-fired several ballistic missiles from silos across the country on Tuesday, the official website of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) said, defying recent U.S. sanctions on its missile program. The test was intended ‘to show Iran’s deterrent power and also the Islamic Republic’s ability to confront any threat against the (Islamic) Revolution, the state and the sovereignty of the country’ . . . .”

CONTRACT WATCH

Nano drones: Soldier Borne Sensors. Tandem NSI’s Michael Hoffman reports, “Army leaders want to build a nano drone that weighs less than a pound with the entire unmanned system not weighing more than three pounds, according to a Request for Information released on FBO.gov on March 1. The Army is calling its nano drone efforts, the Soldier Borne Sensors (SBS) program with Product Manager Soldier Maneuver Sensors (PM SMS) leading the work to outfit soldiers with these high tech unmanned systems.”

Team B-21. Defense News’ Lara Seligman reports, “The Air Force has named the seven major contractors who will join Northrop Grumman in building the next-generation B-21 bomber, including the new plane’s engine-maker Pratt & Whitney. . . . As many expected, F-35 engine-maker Pratt & Whitney will build the B-21 engine at its facility in East Hartford, Connecticut . . . . the decision not to go with GE Aviation for the B-21 engine reflects a departure from history, as GE builds the F118 that powers Nothrop’s B-2 stealth bomber.”

Crypto repair.  Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Information security experts at Raytheon Co. are fixing obsolescence and software problems in a cryptographic and cyber security system the U.S. military uses to transmit voice and data traffic securely. Officials of the Cryptologic and Cyber Systems Division of the U.S. Air Force Life Cycle Management Center at Joint-Base San Antonio, Texas, announced a $7.7 million contract Friday to the Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems Division in Fort Wayne, Ind., to correct problems in the VINSON/ANDVT Cryptographic Modernization (VACM) program.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

Cyber-discipline plan. Federal Times´ Amber Corrin reports, “The Defense Department recently issued a military-wide cybersecurity discipline implementation plan, a document that aims to hold leaders accountable for cybersecurity up and down the chain of command and report progress and setbacks. The plan was originally issued in October but updated in February and made public on the DoD CIO site in early March. It shares some similarities with the Pentagon’s other large-scale cyber assessment tool . . . .” Read “DoD Cybersecurity Discipline Implementation Plan.”

Enigma. The Daily Beast’s Shane Harris reports, “Whatever the language, wherever the broadcast, the numbers stations all sound the same. Men and women, usually with impeccable diction, methodically rattle off codes that almost no one will comprehend. On many stations, the sequences consist of pre-recorded numbers spliced together. Others use computer-generated voices. Some numbers stations have used children, whose higher-pitched recitations might be easier to hear over the bristling shortwave frequencies.” See also, The European Numbers Information Gathering Monitoring Association.

Drone swarm strategies. Basic contributor David Hambling writes, “The oceans are becoming a “sensor rich” environment full of drones, with eyes and ears everywhere. This will leave no hiding place for submarines. . . . Over the past twenty years a new type of unmanned underwater vehicle has been transforming underwater research. Unlike other UUVs which are typically tethered and have a very short range, underwater gliders can roam over long distances for months at a time.” See also, “Have Lethal Swarming Drones Made Submarines Obsolete?

China’s predictive policing. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “The Chinese government is deploying a new tool to keep the population from uprising. Beijing is building software to predict instability before it arises, based on volumes of data mined from Chinese citizens about their jobs, pastimes, and habits.”

Pyongyang hacks S. Korea. Reuters’ reports, “North Korea has tried to hack into email accounts of South Korean railway workers in an attempt to attack the transport system’s control system, South Korea’s spy agency said . . . . South Korea has been on heightened alert against the threat of cyberattacks by North Korea after it conducted a nuclear test in January and a long-range rocket launch last month, triggering new U.N. sanctions.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

Mainstream enough. “The White House is pointing to remarks from former GOP Sen. Trent Lott as a sign of hope that Republicans will eventually cave on their decision to block any Supreme Court candidate named by President Obama. Lott, who was Senate majority leader from 1996 to 2001, predicted on Monday that Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, might relent and hold hearings on the nominee, if Obama’s high court pick is ‘mainstream’ enough.”

Swing vote. “Republicans are in uncharted territory as they inch toward their first contested presidential nominating convention in 40 years. Delegates to the quadrennial GOP gathering cast the official votes that nominate the party’s presidential candidate. But not since Ronald Reagan challenged President Gerald Ford in Kansas City have their votes been more than a formality. This year could be different . . . .”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

Time for a new Sykes-Picot Agreement.” Reuters contributor Peter Van Buren argues, “The payoff of such a broad resolution will be a measure of stability, and a framework to enforce it. American efforts will shift from fanning the flames (American weapons are as ubiquitous as iPhones in the region) to putting out fires.”

Managing Dangerous Incidents: The need for a NATO-Russia Memorandum of Understanding.” European Leadership Network’s Ian Kearns and Denitsa Raynova argue, “It is now clear to everyone that since the end of the Cold War, the NATO-Russia relationship has not developed into a fruitful partnership. . . . New arrangements to manage ongoing close military encounters in the Euro-Atlantic area should be developed as a matter of urgency.”

Let Russia’s Planes Keep Flying Over US.” Defense One contributor Michael Krepon argues, “As global tensions rise, the instincts and advice of Presidents Eisenhower, Reagan, and Bush remain true. Betting on mutual transparency is still a wise decision and a winning proposition for the United States.”

Ambiverts have an edge.” Fast Company’s Stephanie Vozza writes, “If you are energized by intimate conversations, writing, solitude, focusing deeply on a topic without interruption, and working on your own, but you’re also energized by large groups, working with others, processing by talking through things, staying busy, and multitasking, you’re most likely an ambivert . . . .”

THE FUNNIES

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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.