FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Espionage, cyber-insecurity, and the Federal Reserve. “Following the money is how many criminals are caught. It would appear the calculus has been inverted and the bad actors are now following the money and the money policy of the United States. Specifically, they are engaging in a bit of cyber adventurism against the nation’s Federal Reserve Bank (Federal Reserve). . . . What makes the Federal Reserve intrusions noteworthy is how the Federal Reserve itself characterized these intrusions in their internal memorandum: ‘information disclosure’ and ‘espionage.’”
Ah, Venice. “Only one thing is more romantic than being serenaded in a gondola while gliding down a canal of Venice: doing this while thinking of one of the city’s most famous spies. The word ‘Casanova’ is synonymous with ‘ladies’ man,’ so it is only fitting that Giacomo Casanova—the Casanova in question responsible for that reputation—was at one time a spy, a trade known for its share of seducers.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
FBI’s Domestic Investigations and Operations Guide. “Following a terrorist attack, questions unavoidably arise as to whether the FBI did enough to prevent it. . . . There are different levels of FBI investigations, and at each level, different investigative techniques or methods are authorized to be used. As the allegations become more serious and valid, the FBI is permitted to open a higher level of investigation. The higher the level of investigation, the more tools become available to disrupt the threat.” (Lawfare)
SF86: let’s be honest. “In deciding whether to grant, deny or revoke a security clearance, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) expects applicants to provide full and truthful answers. If you lie on this form, more often than not, that lie will be uncovered, and if it is, you may face a steeper punishment than denial or revocation of your security clearance. The importance of being truthful on your SF86 was highlighted this month in a case involving two Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) agents. David Polos, a retired official with the DEA and Glen Glover, a civilian DEA employee were convicted of omitting any reference to outside employment on their SF86 form. . . .” (FedSmith)
CONTRACT WATCH
Palantir, DCGS-A Increment 2, and the future of Army tech acquisition. “The controversy over whether the Army should scrap its DCGS-A program after spending more than a decade and $3 billion to develop it or go with a commercial off-the-shelf solution has been simmering for years. . . . Palantir’s move to protest the acquisition process of the Army’s DCGS-A program gets at the heart of a deeper struggle within the military to figure out how to buy commercial technologies and work with a business sector nearly alien to the way the Defense Department is used to developing and procuring systems.” (Defense News)
DoD finds refreshment in GSA’s OASIS. “Defense Department procurement officials have agreed to expand their use of the General Services Administration’s single contract for complex professional services known as OASIS, GSA announced. The One Acquisition Solution for Integrated Services contract, and its related version for small business firms, provides a unique vehicle through which agencies can buy commercial and noncommercial services in program management, management consulting, logistics, engineering, science and finance.” (Government Executive)
DARPA’s space C2 bid. “U.S. military researchers are asking industry to develop an enterprise software architecture test bed that can integrate several different tools and capabilities for space command and control. Officials of the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) in Arlington, Va., issued a broad agency announcement on Friday (DARPA-BAA-16-40) for the Hallmark Software Testbed (Hallmark-ST) project. This testbed must be flexible, scalable, secure, and able to support software tools and data sources that are classified at several different levels of security.” (Military & Aerospace Electronics)
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
The next generation of cyber-warriors. “Cyber-electromagnetic capabilities, which exist in both cyberspace and the electromagnetic spectrum, are in high demand for good reason. In the Army, cyber and electronic warfare are often viewed as complementary if not synonymous and we use the term ‘cyber’ to encompass both. Cyber needs to deliver in a big way, specifically in its ability to enable freedom of maneuver for ground force commanders. Battles might be ongoing in cyberspace currently, but the Army will continue to need to fight for and hold ground, and cyber can be a major enabler in that endeavor.” (War on the Rocks)
Dealing with Russia and European disunion. “As the European Union squabbled over refugees, Greek bailouts and austerity in past years, it showed striking unity in another area: its resolve to punish Russia for the annexation of Crimea and support of separatists in eastern Ukraine. . . . the mood in Berlin is shifting. And with that shift, the first real cracks are emerging in the European consensus on how to deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin.” (Reuters)
Iran’s terrorist fight. “Iran’s national security chief, Admiral Ali Shamkhani, who was appointed to be Tehran’s security coordinator in Syria last week, told journalists that Iran’s security services were facing a variety of terrorist threats, including from Sunni militants. . . . Iran claimed last week to have defeated a terrorist attack against its Revolutionary Guard forces in a mostly Kurdish province near the Iraqi and Turkish borders.” (Voice of America)
