Friday Finale & This Time Last Year: Insensitive Munitions, FBI Whistleblowing, Phishing Works
FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Job fair success. From Ron Kness: “Networking is generally challenging except for the most extroverted. . . . Here are five tips that can help you successfully network at your next job fair . . . .”
Clearance road. From Ashley LaGanga: “You want the life of a secret squirrel. But how do you obtain a security clearance? Here are the five steps you need to take.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Siege warfare in Iraq. AP’s Susannah George reports, “Surround the strategic western town with a slow and methodical cordon, trapping the extremists inside. It’s a tactic that’s been used elsewhere to claw back Iraqi territory that was seized by the Islamic State group in 2014.”
Al Qaeda in Yemen. Reuters’ Yara Bayoumy, Noah Browning and Mohammed Ghobari report, “Once driven to near irrelevance by the rise of Islamic State abroad and security crackdowns at home, al Qaeda in Yemen now openly rules a mini-state with a war chest swollen by an estimated $100 million in looted bank deposits and revenue from running the country’s third largest port.”
Russia’s new national guard. Vice News’ Greg Walters reports, “The National Guard will draw troops from the ranks of the Interior Ministry, answer directly to the Russian president, and be tasked with ‘the protection of public order’ . . . . Russian National Guard troops will have the right to shoot without warning in response to perceived security threats . . . .”
US Army’s not ready. Defense News’ Jen Judson reports, “Army Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Milley sounded the alarm that the US Army is currently in a state of ‘high risk’ when it comes to being ready enough to defend the nation and respond to a large conflict.”
Rod on AFRICOM. Defense Media Activity’s Terri Moon Cronk reports, “[T]hough some African nations are doing well, with many strengthening their democratic institutions, tough challenges such as weak governance, corruption, uneven development, disease, food insecurity, crime and violent extremism add to instability and conflict in others . . . .”
CONTRACT WATCH
Navy’s construction plan. DoD Buzz’s Hope Hodge Seck reports, “The Navy will build 38 ships in the next five fiscal years, including nine new Virginia-class submarines and 10 Arleigh-Burke Class guided missile destroyer . . . . The plan will bring the fleet to a total of 308 ships by Fiscal 2021 up from the current total of 272, and will increase the number of amphibs in service from 30 to 33 — a long-awaited development for geographic combatant commanders and the Marines who deploy on them.”
Handheld bomb detectors. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Navy explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) experts are reaching out to industry for ways to develop handheld bomb-detection devices able to detect and image the internal components of concealed roadside explosives to help protect U.S. military personnel and equipment. Officials of the Naval Surface Warfare Center in Indian Head, Md., issued a sources-sought notice on Tuesday (N0017416SN0015) for the Internal Image Technology project.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
CIA spy speaks. Salon’s Scott Timberg interviews Douglas Laux: “Eight years in the agency, which included a tour in Afghanistan during the Afghan surge and another to Kandahar during the operation that killed Osama bin Laden, left Laux at times energized by the work, at times frustrated by the CIA bureaucracy, and sometimes self-destructive.”
Laser quantum cryptography. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “Researchers have developed a new method to overcome one of the main issues in implementing a quantum cryptography system, raising the prospect of a useable ‘unbreakable’ method for sending sensitive information hidden inside particles of light.”
Robotic Navy. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “The Defense Department christened the Sea Hunter, a 132-foot robot ghost ship designed to seek out and track diesel-powered submarines across the ocean. The start of the test phase for the program on Thursday signals a new dawn for autonomous systems at sea . . . .”
Panama Papers watch. Times’ Rishi Iyengar reports, “Last Sunday, the world witnessed the biggest data leak in history. . . . With revelations from the leak and their subsequent repercussions still unfolding, here’s what has happened in the past week. . . .” See also, “Secrecy in the Art Market.”
NSA data sharing. The Hill’s Julian Hattem reports, “Civil liberties and government transparency groups are rallying to oppose a new plan that would allow the National Security Agency (NSA) to share more of the information that it collects about people’s communications and activity on the Internet with other federal agencies.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Meta-diversity. “’The way I’ve thought about diversity is not to think about any single seat as ‘I’ve got to fill this slot with this demographic,’ [POTUS said]. ‘But rather if I’ve got a broad set of nominees to make, and this is true across the board, how do I make sure that I’m intentional throughout that process so that the talent of every American, and every potential candidate, gets a fair look.’”
South China Sea, South China Sea, South China Sea. “The Obama administration and a four-star admiral have denied that the White House issued a ‘gag order’ on senior U.S. military officials discussing the disputed South China Sea, a politically charged region that is dogging the administration in its last months in office.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Forsaking The Moral High Ground.” War on the Rocks contributor Peter Mansoor argues, “The United States took the moral high ground during the largest and most destructive war in human history. It should remain there today.”
“Disobey an Order to Waterboard a Terrorist?” Lawfare contributors Shane Reeves and David Wallace argue, “[O]ur current national conversation has turned to arguments over engaging in activity that is already understood to constitute a manifestly illegal order. This is dangerous, for our military and for our national security.”
“Don’t Let the Pentagon Become the Next Enron.” Defense One contributor Col. John O’Grady argues, “It is time for a serious analysis of DOD’s budgeting practices, painful as it may be. DOD leaders must act responsibly to develop a comprehensive fiscal strategy.”
“Shia uprising against the Baghdad government.” Stars & Stripes’ Toby Dodge argues, “Ironically, in the face of geographical (though certainly not ideological nor organizational) military success against Daesh . . . we will see rising levels of extra-parliamentary protest and violence and the further de-legitimization of the Iraqi state.” See also, “Kerry arrives in Baghdad in show of support for government.”
