FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Clearances and student debt. “Whatever you do, don’t wait until after your clearance has already been denied to first get serious about delinquent student loans. Far too many applicants bury their head in the sand until their debts snowball out of control. By that time, what were previously manageable problems have now become a financial nightmare.”
Best cities for defense and intel. “In an ideal world people would choose where to live based on preferences of weather, proximity to cultural attractions or other interests and even for scenic beauty. Unfortunately, many people instead must choose to go where the jobs are. Fortunately for those with security clearance there is great diversity in centers of employment, and other perks, as well.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Diving deep into the ISIS labyrinth. “Understanding clandestine organizations is difficult because they go to great lengths to shield their activities. However, running such an organization, especially one with the ambitions of the Islamic State, requires a great deal of control and information, and that requires paperwork. Within the documents generated by the organization itself is highly detailed information about strategy, payrolls, personnel, revenues, and expenses—information that can be used not only to gain a greater understanding of the group but also to understand its weak points and thereby to combat it.” (The Rand Corporation) See also, “Declassified documents offer insights into ISIS origins, how to defeat the group.”
SOCOM strategy outside the box. “The little-known Army Ranger, new to the 4-star spotlight atop U.S. Special Operations Command, sees America’s elite troops transforming from a reactive to a proactive force, one that operates globally, but still with a light footprint. Thomas’s vision is a force that is predictively employed, rather than reactively deployed. ‘It is in the area of left of bang where we must strive to be more relevant in the future,’ he said.” (Defense One)
Imagining war with China. “Remember, the stakes are high for both sides. This is a contest over the future of the Asian order, and we should not for a moment assume that China is any less committed to building a new order than we are to preserving the old one. Unless one side or the other abandons its core objective, the chances of a crisis in the Western Pacific escalating to the point that we face a decision about going to war is already quite high, and is growing steadily. So we ought to think seriously about what war with China over one of these issues would actually look like.” (The National Interest) See also,
Defense Down Under—Australia’s 2016 Defence White Paper. “The Australian Defence Force is already highly capable and respected for its professionalism world-wide. Our challenge is to maintain our capability edge and prepare for the more complex and high-tech conflicts of the future. To achieve this, the Government has prioritised the development of a more capable, agile and potent force structure. We will invest in modern space and cyber capabilities and the infrastructure, information and communications systems that support defence capability. Australian Defence Force personnel will continue to be appropriately trained, equipped and supported to undertake their diverse, critical roles.” (Australian Government DoD)
Staff cuts coming to the Pentagon. “The Defense Department is restructuring its headquarters as it looks to save $1.9 billion through a 25 percent reduction of staff costs . . . . The ‘delayering’ initiative is part of a broader institutional reform activity, in which DoD is restructuring its business processes and practices, particularly in support areas . . . . The restructuring is occurring over several years, and the intent is to implement changes through attrition, over time . . . .” (Defense Media Activity)
CONTRACT WATCH
Mark 48 torpedo upgrades by Lockheed Martin Sippican Inc. “Officials of the Naval Sea Systems Command in Washington are asking Sippican to provide new guidance and control sections, as well as sonar upgrade kits, for the Mark 48 Mod 7 torpedo, which is standard armament for the Navy’s fleet of Los Angeles-, Virginia-, and Seawolf-class fast attack submarines, as well as Ohio-class ballistic- and cruise-missile submarines. Sippican will provide Common Broadband Advanced Sonar System (CBASS) upgrades, MK 48 Mod 7 heavyweight torpedo guidance and control sections and related engineering services, Navy officials say.” (Military & Aerospace Electronics)
Bang for the buck in defense acquisition. “For the past four years, Frank Kendall, undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, has updated Congress on the Better Buying Power (BBP) initiative and the need to firmly embed tools such as should-cost analysis into DoD acquisition culture. Three key areas can help drive adoption should-cost analysis into the DoD acquisition culture: people and training, tools and processes, and leadership and should-cost pilot programs.” (Federal Times)
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
SOCOM’s SOFWEX tech shop. “3-D printers and half-built drones litter the 10,000-square-foot space, which was converted from an old tattoo parlor and former telephone book factory. High stools, wood tables and flat screens give it the look of Silicon Valley. The walls, however, are adorned with pictures of commandos in 1940s North Africa and mission dossiers from the CIA’s World War II precursor, the Office of Strategic Services. During a recent visit, a young intern was working on a device that uses radar to see through walls.” (Washington Post)
Inside Harvard Materials Research Science and Engineering Center (MRSEC). “Kit Parker is a lieutenant colonel in the Army Reserve and has served multiple tours of duty in Afghanistan. Even when he is not in uniform, this Harvard University bioengineer makes it his mission to protect the men and women of the U.S. armed forces — from improving wound dressings to designing lighter weight bullet proof vests.” (Homeland Security News Wire)
China’s spies in the Great White North. “Canada’s immigration department is planning to deny permanent resident visas to three Chinese citizens who work for Chinese telecom titan Huawei over concerns the applicants are involved in espionage, terrorism, and government subversion. A fourth person previously employed by Huawei, but married to someone who currently works for the company, was also told their application would be rejected . . . .” (Vice News)
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
You’ve got mail! “Hillary Clinton broke State Department rules through the use of her private email server during her time as secretary, according to a government report that will be formally released on Thursday. The 83-page report from the State Department’s Office of Inspector General (OIG), which was leaked to The Hill and other media outlets on Wednesday, compounds the problems that have dogged the likely Democratic presidential nominee since before her entry into the race.” (The Hill)
Run DNC. “Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) is fighting to stay on as head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC) amid a roiling debate within her party about whether she should step aside before the Democratic National Convention in July. . . . Perhaps the strongest show of support for Wasserman Schultz came in the House, where leading Democrats rushed to her defense. . . . But the mood in the Senate was different; talk of replacing Wasserman Schultz received little pushback from Senate leaders.” (The Hill)
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
The moral burdens of war. “No civilian can assume the moral burdens felt at a gut level by participants in war, but all can show an equal commitment to their country, an equal assumption of the obligations inherent in citizenship, and an equal bias for action. Ideals are one thing—the messy business of putting them into practice is another. That means giving up on any claim to moral purity. That means getting your hands dirty.” (Brookings)
Afghanistan after Mansour. “Killing Mullah Mansour has only made peace talks with the Afghan Taliban more remote. Decapitation by drone strike to disrupt the group’s leadership is a tempting military tool, but seen through the political lens on which any negotiations and reconciliation will ultimately depend, it can be too blunt an instrument.” (The New York Times)
Pakistan after Mansour. “The recent strike of the Afghan Taliban leader appears to be a tactical success and a positive development for the United States in the near-term. It either reflects some amount of cooperation with Pakistan or the prospect of significant intelligence and military reach despite a smaller footprint, either of which can serve the United States well in the near-term.” (War on the Rocks)
NATO Summit decisions, decisions, decisions. “[T]hree decisions could strengthen NATO’s cohesion and at the same time open the door for fine-tuning NATO’s Strategic Concept to the realities of today’s dramatically changed world and to future challenges, especially once the newly elected U.S. administration is in place. Moreover, such steps might help in restoring a sense of purpose for the European foreign and security policy, which could improve EU cohesion and possibly help in developing a new vision of a Europe whole, free and at peace.” (European Leadership Network)
