FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Tailored resumes. From contributor Ron Kness: “If you are looking for a handout that highlights your accomplishments to give out at job fairs or at other networking opportunities, then you want a general resume. . . . However, when applying for a specific job, a resume tailored to that posting is a must. So just what does that mean – tailored to that posting?”
Automation and you. From contributor Peter Suciu: “The World Economic Forum warned that jobs could be lost from the use of robots and automated systems. In January the WEF suggested that the world has entered a ‘fourth industrial revolution,’ one that could lead to a net loss of more than five million jobs in 15 major developed and emerging economies including those of China, the UK and the U.S.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Troops to Syria. Washington Post’s Darlene Superville reports, “In a speech on U.S.-European relations, to be delivered before the meeting, Obama planned to announce the deployment of 250 U.S. military personnel, mostly Army Green Berets, to Syria to assist local forces fighting the Islamic State group. The deployment would bring to 300 the number of U.S. forces battling extremists in the war-torn country.”
BRAC battles. AP’s Robert Burns reports, “The Pentagon may have to wait at least another year before Congress is willing to open the door to base closings, but it has some limited authority to act on its own. The study sent to Congress hinted at this by stating that BRAC is the fairest approach to resolving the surplus problem.”
Volunteers in Iraq. Reuters’ Stephen Kalin reports, “Thousands of foreigners have flocked to Iraq and Syria in the past three years, mostly to join Islamic State. But smaller numbers – estimated now at several dozen – are with groups fighting the radicals. [John] Cole fell in with Kurdish fighters in neighboring Syria last July and a few months later went to Iraq, where he plans to stay until at least October.”
CONTRACT WATCH
Apaches to Poland. Defense News’ Jaroslaw Adamowski reports, “Poland’s Ministry of Defence is aiming to acquire 24 Boeing AH-64 Apache helicopters under its ongoing tender to purchase new combat helos for the Polish Air Force . . . . The procurement, dubbed the Kruk program, is most likely to be awarded to Boeing prior to the forthcoming NATO summit in Warsaw, which is to be held July 8-9 . . . .”
Leidos wins vetronics contract. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, announced a $2.2 million contract to Leidos this week for the advanced signature management portion of the DARPA Ground X-Vehicle Technologies (GXV-T) program. The DARPA GXV-T program seeks to develop technologies to enable future armored combat vehicles to protect themselves not with armor, but instead with speed, agility, and stealth.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Brain training. Fast Company’s Christina Farr reports, “The Navy SEALs have a high-tech secret weapon. From a distance, it looks like a regular pair of headphones. But as its wearer exercises or navigates unfamiliar terrain, the Halo Sport device beams a flow of electrical pulses to the brain’s motor cortex. The result, its creators claim, is a supercharged ability to learn new skills and build physical strength—a brain primed for performance.”
SILMARILS: laser bomb detector. Nextgov’s Frank Konkel reports, “The U.S. Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity wants to develop a hand-held, laser-based remote sensor that could detect and identify chemical weapons, explosives, narcotics and potentially even biological agents – all from up to 100 feet away.”
Torture suits proceed. The Los Angeles Times’s Brian Bennett reports, “For the first time, a federal judge is letting a civil lawsuit proceed against two CIA contract psychologists who designed and supervised brutal interrogation tactics that critics called torture. The ruling allows two former CIA detainees and the family of another who died in agency custody to try to win damages in federal court for the abuse they suffered at then-secret CIA prisons in the early 2000s.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“Things Lawmakers Should Do Before They Complain About Military Readiness.” Defense One contributor William D. Hartung argues, “If members of Congress truly care about the needs of the troops, they should start by kicking their habit of raiding the operations budget. Once this is done, money for additional training and maintenance can come from trimming the fat from the existing base budget.”
