FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Losing my clearance: Part III. “For our final installment in this series, I’ve saved what is – without a doubt – one of the most priceless examples of poor judgment I’ve encountered in a while. The saga begins in 2007, when the Applicant claims not to have known he was arrested for illegal alien smuggling just six years prior. He fails to list the arrest on his SF-86 form – an omission which is, of course, promptly discovered. . . .”
Clearance cuts 2015. “The year 2015 ushered in a trifecta of security clearance reductions, according to the 2015 Annual Report on Security Clearance Determinations from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). In 2015 the population of cleared, in-access professionals; those cleared but without access; and new clearances approved all saw a drop. The report indicated that a significant percentage of reductions were related to Data Quality Initiatives (DQIs) implemented.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Clinton v. Petraeus: what’s the difference. “Comey did not recommend charges against Clinton, the presumptive Democratic candidate for president, over her personal email server while she was secretary of state. He said his team found no evidence that she lied under oath or broke the law by discussing classified information in an unclassified setting. In contrast, Petraeus pleaded guilty last year to knowingly sharing binders of classified information with his biographer, a woman with whom he was having a sexual relationship. The Justice Department made clear that the retired Army general knew the material was top secret when he divulged it and had lied to the FBI about it.” (AP)
Cyber Security Trade Mission to Turkey. “Few would argue against the notion that cybersecurity has become a hot topic in government and industry circles. But now and again there are clear, unassailable signs that this is the case. One such sign comes from the Commerce Department International Trade Administration’s (ITA) upcoming trip to Turkey. As of July 7, the ‘Information and Communication Technology Trade Mission’ has officially been renamed the ‘Cyber Security Trade Mission.’” (Federal Times)
Working well with robots. “A bionic glove for assembly line workers could stave off the robot takeover (for now). The RoboGlove — designed to strengthen and prolong a worker’s grip — is being developed by General Motors and Bioservo Technologies, a Swedish company that already produces exoskeletal-gloves for people with weaker grip due to injury . . . . The glove represents one of a number of emerging technologies aimed at enhancing humans’ dexterity, endurance, and strength so they can work alongside industrial robots. In fact, ‘co-robots’ — the term for this symbiotic pairing — constitute the newest trend in this line of research . . . .”
CONTRACT WATCH
NSA has a plan that accelerates COTS acquisition. “A new report from the Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology on how to navigate the National Security Agency’s Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) program. The CSfC program is an attempt to reconcile tough security standards for deploying products on national security systems with the rapid rate of change of commercial technologies. NSA says it has accelerated product evaluations from as long as 18 months to 90 days.” (FCW)
Bring the Patriot into the 21st century. “U.S. Army missile experts want to upgrade or replace the radar systems on the Patriot air-defense missile system, and they are surveying industry to find companies able to do this. Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Picatinny Arsenal, N.J., issued a request for information Wednesday (W15QKN16X06UY) for the Lower Tier Air and Missile Defense Sensor (LTAMDS) project to consider upgrades or replacements to the Patriot missile radar. The Army wants to upgrade or replace the current Patriot radar to improve its effectiveness against emerging threats and reduce maintenance costs.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
ISIS’ structure of governance. “At the top of the structural pyramid, there’s the caliph — the spiritual and political leader of the caliphate on earth — a position still held, as far as we know, by Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. . . . Al-Baghdadi is responsible for issuing top-level orders, and receives advice on the various matters he deals with from the ‘shura council.’ The delegated committee, directly under al-Baghdadi, then passes these orders on, and supervises the three main branches of the state: the Wilayat, the Dawawin, and the Committees and Offices. . . .”
CENTCOM Commander Joe Votel: glass is half full in Afghanistan. “The Army general charged with overseeing the U.S. military’s war effort in Afghanistan and across the Middle East arrived here Friday, saying the drawdown of American forces from Afghanistan would still leave commanders with enough capability to effectively prosecute the war. . . . Although the White House plan leaves more troops in Afghanistan, it amounts to a drawdown of forces when a resurgent Taliban and a new threat from Islamic State in Afghanistan pose enormous challenges. But Gen. Votel said the twin missions in Afghanistan, to train and advise Afghan forces as well as counterterrorism, wouldn’t suffer if there were fewer forces than the 10,000 that are there now.” (The Wall Street Journal)
