FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Distinguish yourself. From Julie Mendez: “[W]hen done well, your cover letter can be your secret weapon that will quickly distinguish yourself from the crowd. Recruiters spend 6-10 seconds per resume, and you do not want them wasting those precious seconds on your cover letter. So, it is vital to maximizing the effectiveness of both!”
Classification review. From Chandler Harris: “The federal government is currently undergoing a department-wide review of its national security classification policies, or Fundamental Classification Guidance Review (FCGR), in an attempt to update its policies for access to classified information. The goal of the FCGR is to ensure each agency has guidelines in place that authorizes classification only when it is necessary to protect national security . . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Buzzing Donald Cook. The Wall Street Journal’s Julien E. Barnes and Gordon Lubold report, “Russian warplanes and a military helicopter repeatedly buzzed a U.S. Navy destroyer in the Baltic Sea two days this week, flying to within 75 feet of the warship, according to U.S. officials, a sign of potentially rising tensions despite Moscow’s recent agreement to hold new talks with the Western alliance. U.S. officials said the passes by unarmed Su-24 warplanes and at least one Ka-27 Russian military helicopter were unsafe, potentially provocative and could have caused an accident.” See also, “Passes near U.S. destroyer.”
Marine story: Maj. Mark Thompson. Washington Post’s John Cox tells the whole sordid tale: “Innocent. That’s what Marine Maj. Mark Thompson declared the first time we met. He’d been fighting to prove it ever since two young women accused the former history instructor at the U.S. Naval Academy of having sex with them while they were students. . . .”
National treasures. The New Yorker’s Elisabeth Biondi covers Platon’s study of soldiers, before and after: “For Platon’s first photo-essay assignment, or Portfolio, we decided to focus on members of the military before and after their tours of duty. We would document their training and preparation, and then visit them again when they returned from the war, to see how they—and their loved ones—were faring.”
ISI, CIA, and FOB Chapman. Foreign Policy’s Elias Groll reports, “The Chapman attack killed seven CIA officers and a Jordanian intelligence operative. It was carried out by a double agent, a Jordanian named Hammam Khalil Mohammed, who was invited onto the base to help the agency track down senior al Qaeda operatives. When he blew himself up during a meeting with senior CIA officials responsible for hunting al Qaeda, he greatly hindered Langley’s effort to dismantle the terror network.”
Ahmad Zia Massoud roars: Afghanistan’s next lion. Also from Foreign Policy, Sune Engel Rasmussen reports, “On a recent Monday afternoon in Afghanistan’s northern Baghlan province, in front of a whooping crowd of bearded ex-rebel commanders, a stocky, one-legged veteran grabbed the microphone to make himself heard: ‘The mujahideen will seek martyrdom against the Taliban,’ he shouted. On stage, presidential envoy Ahmad Zia Massoud, as a consummate Afghan politician would, posed for selfies while a group of elderly men ceremoniously wrapped a blue and green chapan cloak over his shoulders. The message Massoud had come to deliver played well with the northerners. It also probably surprised, and infuriated, his boss, the president.” See also, “Afghan Mineral Wealth Being Looted By Strongmen.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Saudi arms sales under scrutiny. Vice News’ Samuel Oakford reports, “Two US Senators introduced legislation on Wednesday that would halt future sales of aerial munitions to Saudi Arabia until President Obama verifies that the Saudi government is respecting international humanitarian law in waging war in Yemen, that it doesn’t support listed terrorist groups, and that it is pursuing all measures to eradicate al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group.” See also, “Canada under fire over Saudi arms sale.”
Raytheon’s billion-dollar jammers. DoD Buzz’s Brendan McGarry reports, “Raytheon Co., the world’s largest missile-maker, has received a $1 billion contract from the U.S. Navy to develop new jammers for EA-18G Growler aircraft. The agreement calls for the Waltham, Massachusetts-based company to supply the sea service with 15 Next Generation Jammer, or NGJ, pods . . . . The new tactical jammer is designed to replace the decades-old ALQ-99 system that currently exists on the electronic attack aircraft made by Boeing Co. Raytheon was selected for the program in 2013.”
JLTV delays. Defense News’ Jen Judson reports, “The Joint Light Tactical Vehicle won’t reach initial operational capability on time, officials from both the US Army and Marine Corps are saying. The delays are due mainly to the disruption in executing the program when Lockheed Martin filed a protest of the Army’s decision to award Oshkosh Defense a contract to build the Humvee replacement.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Brain prosthetics. The Atlantic’s Ed Young reports, “The field of neuroprosthetics has made huge strides of late. Just ten years ago, the team behind BrainGate (a neuroprosthetic, not a neuroscandal) demonstrated that paralyzed people could used implanted electrodes to control a virtual cursor and a rudimentary robotic hand. A quadriplegic woman named Cathy Hutchinson would later use BrainGate to drink from a cup of coffee, brought to her lips with a mentally controlled robotic arm.”
Encryption bill. Reuters’ Mark Hosenball and Dustin Volz report, “Two U.S. senators on Wednesday issued a formal draft of a controversial bill that would give courts the power to order technology companies like Apple to help authorities break into encrypted devices or communications for law enforcement or intelligence purposes.”
New cyber chiefs. Reuters’ Roberta Rampton reports, “The chief executive of MasterCard Inc, the former head of the National Security Agency and officials from Microsoft and Uber will join a commission to strengthen U.S. cyber defenses . . . . the panel will be co-chaired by Tom Donilon, Obama’s former national security adviser, and Sam Palmisano, former CEO of IBM. The panel, selected by Obama and congressional leaders from both parties, also includes . . . .” See also, “White House to announce federal CISO pick within a month.”
Spy story: Mossad chief Meir Dagan. War on the Rocks’ Shay Hershkovitz reports, “On March 17, former Mossad chief Meir Dagan passed away at the age of 71. An examination of Dagan’s career illuminates how creative thinking and bold approaches can enable intelligence organizations to adjust to changing environments, while at the same time demonstrating that the use of power has its own limitations. It also sheds light on several key issues regarding the relationship between policymakers and senior intelligence officers and how politics is always a part of the equation.”
Space control. Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber reports, “The world’s spacefaring nations need the orbital equivalent of air traffic controllers — the cool professionals who guide planes from airport to airport — to direct satellites and other spacecraft in their increasingly crowded flight paths above the Earth’s atmosphere . . . .”
Declassifying the 9/11 Commission report. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “The 9/11 Commission interviewed hundreds of witnesses and compiled a report of more than 800 pages. The report’s last chapter of the report, however, has been classified for the last thirteen years. The White House said that within the next sixty days it will decide whether or not declassify the 28-page chapter.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
On the playground. “Infighting has broken out among Senate Republicans over what their leadership team should look like next year, reflecting broader tensions between the party establishment and conservatives. Republican lawmakers are split over the question of whether Sen. Mike Lee (R-Utah), a close friend of presidential candidate Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), should have a chance to join the leadership. . . . One lawmaker grumbled that Lee is trying to position himself as an adversary of the establishment to raise his profile.”
Breaking news. “Republican lawmakers’ struggle to pass a new budget bill is just the latest sign of the GOP’s dysfunction, House Democratic leaders charged Wednesday. ‘We’re shocked,’ Rep. Xavier Becerra (D-Calif.), chairman of the House Democratic Caucus, said to laughter. . . . The current budget debate has provided plenty of fodder for Democratic critics.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“How the next U.S. president should manage Russia.” Reuters contributor Josh Cohen argues, “While demonizing Putin makes for good rhetoric, a real policy that seeks to further American interests is a better way to manage the relationship with Russia.”
“Afghanistan: Rethinking the Transition Strategy.” The Diplomat contributor Abbas Farasoo argues, “If support and cooperation in the fight against terrorism does not materialize, then it would be a dark time not only for Afghanistan, but for international security as well.”
“Leadership Lessons From The Presidential Campaign Trail.” Fast Company contributor Kristen McAlister writes, “Aside from the mudslinging and name calling this election cycle, launching and running a successful presidential campaign has a lot in common with starting and running a business. . . . Here’s what the high stakes, breakneck pace, and unpredictable twists of the campaign trail can teach business leaders everywhere.”
