FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Degrees of success. “It has been said by politicians, career guidance counselors and of course university recruiters that today a bachelors degree is what a high school diploma used to be a generation ago – a winning ticket to a good career. At the same time, there is a growing movement that a college degree isn’t a must-have. The question becomes whether a college degree is necessary to work in the defense industry. The short answer is yes. . . .”
Tuition Assistance Top-Up. “If you are a service member that has both GI Bills, you could use your MGIB for Top-Up and once your 36 months of MGIB entitlement is exhausted, switch to the Post 9/11 GI Bill and get an additional 12 months of entitlement to help pay towards an advanced degree, bringing your total combined GI Bill entitlement up to the maximum of 48 months instead of 36.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
OPERATION TIMBER SYCAMORE: CIA’s black market boon. “Weapons shipped into Jordan by the Central Intelligence Agency and Saudi Arabia intended for Syrian rebels have been systematically stolen by Jordanian intelligence operatives and sold to arms merchants on the black market . . . . The training program, which in 2013 began directly arming the rebels under the code name Timber Sycamore, is run by the C.I.A. and several Arab intelligence services and aimed at building up forces opposing President Bashar al-Assad of Syria. The United States and Saudi Arabia are the biggest contributors . . . .” (New York Times)
FBI’s billion-dollar tech budget. “In a roundtable discussion on the topic of encryption technology, FBI deputy assistant director James Burrell revealed that the bureau has a budget of ‘hundreds of millions of dollars’ for the development of technology for national security and domestic law enforcement. The budget by the Operational Technology Division, which handles the FBI’s investigative technology ranging from surveillance technology to robots, will soon inch closer to $1 billion.” (Tech Times)
FedRAMP announces high-impact baseline for the cloud. “Federal cloud adoption is maturing. But it’s been held back over the years, mostly by the risk-averse culture that permeates most federal agencies. The June 23 release of FedRAMP’s high impact baseline could be a turning point in cloud’s coming of age. . . . ‘This is definitely a pinnacle in the process — a turning point,’ said Pam Walker, senior director of federal public sector technology at the Information Technology Industry Council.” (Federal Times)
Designing a functional cyber-risk strategy for the future. “Cybersecurity is focused principally on the use of protection mechanisms to shield systems from threats or damage. It is about acquiring anti-virus, firewalls, intrusion prevention and other solutions designed to stop attacks known at the moment. Unfortunately, the threat landscape is constantly and unpredictably shifting, rendering traditional defensive products/tactics as insufficient, pretty much by the time they’re out of the box. A cyber risk strategy, however, takes organizations to a far more mature, holistic level.” (Federal Times)
CONTRACT WATCH
Harris lands $1.7 billion radio contract. “U.S. Army radio communications specialists finalized a potential $1.7 billion contract with Harris Corp. on Wednesday to provide military radio equipment to Afghanistan and other U.S. allies under the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program. The indefinite-delivery/indefinite-quantity (IDIQ) contract with the Harris RF Communications segment in Rochester, N.Y., will involve virtually everything in the Harris RF communications inventory — primarily the Falcon III radio family, company officials say.” (Military & Aerospace Electronics)
Fat Leonard convicts another contractor. “The ever-widening bribery scandal involving a Singapore-based contractor has netted federal prosecutors their 11th guilty plea. Former Department of Defense senior contracting official Paul Simpkins, 61, of Haymarket, Va., pleaded guilty on June 23 to charges that he accepted bribes and prostitutes from Leonard Glenn Francis, owner of Glenn Defense Marine Asia, in exchange for preferential treatment on defense contracts.” (Federal Times)
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
ISIS in Afghanistan. “More than 100 Islamic State (IS) fighters in Afghanistan were reported killed over the weekend after security forces launched a counterattack against the group in a province near the border with Pakistan. The militants attacked a town in the Kowt district of eastern Nangarhar province earlier this week, torching homes and local police posts. Multiple civilians, including children, were reported killed, and at least 30 people were abducted.” (Vice News)
Fallujah secured. “Iraqi security forces say they have taken control of the city of Fallujah from Islamic State militants after nearly five weeks of intense fighting. . . . The commander of the operation, Lt. Gen. Abdel Wahab al-Saadi, appeared on state television and ‘hailed what he called the victory of the security forces and their allies, although he said clearing operations were still ongoing’ . . . .” (NPR) See also, “Iraqi Forces Take Full Control of Fallujah From Islamic State” and “A Look At Iraq’s War Against IS After Fallujah.”
The diplomacy of science. “In the Middle East, opportunities abound for science diplomacy. Not only can this type of approach help solve practical, quality-of-life challenges—from energy to health and beyond—it can bring together expert communities and bureaucracies. In the process, it can contribute to more normalized people-to-people and government-to-government relations.” (Lawfare)
