Thirsty Thursday

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

Informational interviews. From Jennifer Cary, “Setting up an informational interview can take time and persistence, but the pay-off is well worth the effort. You’ll have an opportunity to sit down with an expert in your desired field and get their unfiltered advice and opinions. So find a professional you admire, send out a request and nail down an interview. You’ll be one more step ahead in the employment game.”

Women warriors. Ashley LaGanga writes, “On average, there tend to be physical and other physiological differences between men and women. Accordingly, all the services have looked closely at ways to mitigate the potential for higher injury rates among women, and they’ve come up with creative methods to address this.”

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

Votel takes CENTCOM. Defense Media Activity’s Jim Garamone reports, “The men and women of U.S. Central Command have met every challenge thrown at them under the leadership of Army Gen. Lloyd J. Austin III, and they won’t miss a beat as Army Gen. Joseph L. Votel takes the reins, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in Tampa . . . .”

New intel brigade. Stars & Stripes’ Nancy Montgomery reports, “The Army has stood up a military intelligence brigade in Vicenza to support operations in Africa and counter increasing security threats from the continent’s extremist groups. . . . The move is intended to provide dedicated tactical intelligence to support AFRICOM operations . . . on a continent destabilized by a number of militant Islamist groups.”

Syrian opposition government. Reuters’ Jack Stubbs and Lisa Barrington report, “President Bashar al-Assad said it would not be difficult to agree on a new Syrian government including opposition figures, but his opponents responded on Wednesday that no administration would be legitimate while he remained in office. . . . Opposition negotiators immediately dismissed Assad’s remarks, saying that a political settlement could be reached only by establishing a transitional body with full powers, not another government under Assad.”

Nuclear security summit. Washington Post’s Josh Lederman reports, “Working to display a united front, the United States and key Asian countries will seek Thursday to put more pressure on North Korea as world leaders open a nuclear security summit in Washington. President Barack Obama, the summit’s host, will also seek to smooth over tensions with China over cybersecurity and maritime disputes as he and President Xi Jinping meet on the sidelines.” See also, “Huddle on North Korea Nuclear Threat” and “Good Reading for the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit.”

Aboard the Zumwalt. Defense News’ Christopher P. Cavas reports, “The 610-foot-long destroyer moved out slowly from the pier, making a sharp left turn, then a right to come into the channel. As she moved out of Casco Bay into the Atlantic, a slight sea was running, enough to throw spray from her sharp, wave-piercing prow and occasionally spit on the bridge. A slight glow in the darkness ahead belied the white running light on the Zumwalt’s bow – a change from the mast position required on other ships because the destroyer’s stealthy design leaves nowhere else to put it. . . .”

CONTRACT WATCH

Union Persuader Rule. FedSmith’s Michael Wald reports, “On March 24, the U.S. Department of Labor finalized a rule that requires reporting of ‘persuader’ activities and agreements meant to ‘directly or indirectly persuade employees concerning their rights to organize and bargain collectively.’ The rule forces employers to identify consultants hired to counterbalance union organizing activities.” See also, “Business groups sue over union ‘persuader’ rule.”

Two more Arleigh-Burkes, please. DoD Buzz’s Hope Hodge Seck reports, “The Navy on Wednesday funded two more DDG 51 Arleigh-Burke Class destroyers, bringing the number to eight out of ten awarded through a pair of multi-year contracts. One of the two ships was funded under a five-year procurement contract through fiscal 2017 with Huntington Ingalls Industries, and the other under a similar agreement covering the same period with General Dynamics Corp.’s Bath Iron Works . . . .”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

Killer robots. Washington Post’s Dan Lamothe reports, “[T] the Defense Department is concerned that adversary nations could empower advanced weapons systems to act on their own, noting that while the United States will not give them the authority to kill autonomously, other countries might.”

A better howitzer. National Interest’s Joseph Trevithick’s reports, “The Army is cooking up a suite of improvements could double the range of the existing M-777 howitzer. Right now the 155-millimeter gun, in service with the Army and Marines, can lob shells at targets up to 18 miles away. The M-777ER version the Army is working on ‘will be able to reach out and hit targets…before the targets can reach them’ . . . .”

Cloud security updated. FierceGovernmentIT’s Molly Bernhart Walker reports, “The Defense Department’s chief information officer and the Defense Information Systems Agency on Friday issued an update to its Cloud Computing Security Requirements Guide, which updates guidance from January 2015. . . . DISA CIO and Risk Management Executive John Hickey said the update better reflects the evolution of DoD’s cloud computing efforts. It applies to all DoD components and all cloud service provider offerings, regardless of who owns or operates the environments.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

That settles it. “White House spokesman Josh Earnest said Wednesday that both President Obama and his predecessor would have fired anyone on their staff who got into a physical altercation with a reporter, the current charge that Donald Trump’s campaign manager is facing.”

Half full. “Vice President Joe Biden is pitching in to help elect a Democrat president and give the party control of the Senate, but is only jokingly talking about winning back the House.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

Obama Promised to End America’s Wars—Has He? The Atlantic contributor Edward Delman argues, “The dragons persist, but now the dragon-slayers tend to operate in the air—or in the shadows.”

The Islamic State’s Offline Propaganda Strategy.” Lawfare contributor Charlie Winter argues, “This is totalitarianism at work, pure and not-so-simple. In much the same way as Hitler and Stalin’s propagandists did, the Islamic State’s media team is seeking to exact control over its audience by making the message of expansion and utopia the only constant.”

Turning The Tide Against Isil In Europe.” War on the Rocks’ Frank J. Cilluffo and Sharon L. Cardash argue, “When it comes to counterterrorism, the to-do list for Belgium, for the European Union, and indeed for all of us, is both long and hard. But recent events, in tandem with the persisting pool of Western foreign fighters, both aspirants and returnees, underscore the urgent need for each of us — as individual countries and collectively — to continually up our game.”

Weirdest Interview Questions.” From Fast Company’s Lydia Dishman: “With so many jockeying to show off their skills and experience in the best light, the in-person interview could be the make-or-break point in what’s become an ever-lengthening hiring process. . . . be ready for any question that could be asked during today’s competitive recruiting process.”

THE FUNNIES

Master hacker

Superdelegates

Lawyered-up

Related News

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.