FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Clearance smarts for recruiters. “If you’re recruiting cleared talent, you need to understand the security clearance process. . . . But whether you’re new to cleared recruiting or just looking for a quick refresher on the latest policy changes, here are five things every recruiter needs to know about the security clearance process.”
Scenario interview strategies. “In this type of interview, the hiring official is usually trying to assess critical thinking skills and general business knowledge – whether the candidate can think well on his feet. . . . In fact, that is by design, as the interviewee is expected to ask smart questions to get enough information to formulate a desired resolution.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
The high price of victory in Ramadi. “In the once thriving Haji Ziad Square, not a single structure still stands. Turning in every direction yields a picture of devastation . . . . When Iraqi government forces backed by U.S.-led warplanes wrested this city from Islamic State militants after eight months of IS control, it was heralded as a major victory. But the cost of winning Ramadi has been the city itself.” (AP)
Russia flexing in the mirror. “Russia will reinforce its western and southern flanks with three new divisions by the year-end, officials said on Wednesday, threatening retaliation to NATO’s plans to boost its military presence in eastern members Poland and the Baltic States. While Moscow accuses the Western alliance of threatening its Russia’s security, NATO says intensified military drills and its plans for increased deployments on its eastern flank are purely defensive . . . .” (Reuters)
North Korean coronation coming Friday. “When Kim Jong-un, the North Korean leader, arrives at the seventh congress of the governing Workers’ Party on Friday, he will essentially be attending his own coronation. Meeting for the first time in a generation, the congress — in theory, the country’s highest decision-making body — will cement his status as supreme leader.” (New York Times)
Ash Carter on next steps with coalition. “Defense ministers who represent core countries contributing to the fight against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant all agreed that they will continue to do more to accelerate ISIL’s lasting defeat, Defense Secretary Ash Carter said today in Stuttgart, Germany, after the group’s second meeting.” (Defense Media Activity)
CONTRACT WATCH
Raytheon delivering Silent Knights to spec-ops. “U.S. Special Operations Command has awarded Raytheon a contract for additional terrain-following aircraft radar. The indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract, which has a maximum value of $49.5 million, is for continued, low-rate initial production of the Silent Knight radar system, according to the Department of Defense contract announcement. Silent Knight allows SOCOM aircraft like the MC-130 and MH-60 to fly at low altitudes.” (C4ISR & Networks)
Whistleblowers hit the contracting jackpot. “Two firms contracting with the Pentagon’s massive Defense Transportation Coordination Initiative agreed to pay the government $13 million to settle allegations of overbilling exposed by two whistleblowers . . . . The whistleblowers, Richard Ricks and Marcelo Cuellar, will share $2.86 million in recovery proceeds. Menlo is paying $10 million of the settlement, Estes $3 million.” (Government Executive)
Lockheed to build integrated distributed battle management capability. “Aerial warfare experts at Lockheed Martin Corp. will design full-up prototype software decision aids that not only help plan complex aerial battles that involve manned combat aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), but also offer limited sensor and communications networking. Officials of the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory Information Directorate in Rome, N.Y., announced a $16.2 million contract Monday to the Lockheed Martin (NYSE:LMT) Aeronautics segment . . . .” (Military & Aerospace Electronics)
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Embracing the hot rock. “Sen. Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, issued a tepid endorsement of Donald Trump Wednesday, a day after the real estate mogul became the presumptive Republican presidential nominee. . . . McConnell has been privately critical of Trump and has publicly denounced some of Trump’s proposals, including one that would ban new Muslim entrants into the United States. McConnell also privately told GOP senators they’d drop Trump like ‘a hot rock’ in order to protect vulnerable Senate seats that might be jeopardized by Trump at the top of the ticket.”
Little Marco goes to Washington. “Two months after he quit the presidential race, as he heads into the twilight of his single term in the chamber, the Florida senator is showing signs that the job that once deeply frustrated him isn’t so bad, after all. Bashed on the campaign trail as a vote-skipping truant, Rubio has become a constant, active presence in the chamber — leaning on fellow Republicans to cough up money to combat the Zika virus and strong-arming the White House in a foreign-policy deal in the past few weeks alone. Today, Rubio says he is ‘150 percent’ committed to being a senator . . . .”
