ON THE MEDIA
Veteran columnist Walter Pincus cautions his colleagues in the media that they may be overreacting to the recent Department of Justice probe into the activities of Fox News’ James Rosen. Pincus goes into detail about his experience being subpoenaed over the Valerie Plame affair, and closes with sage advice paraphrased for audience: be careful what you wish for.
Senator John McCain clandestinely entered Syria over the weekend and met with the leadership, or lack thereof, of the Free Syrian Army. How do we know this? It’s everywhere.
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
Despite proclamations from defense insiders that the rebalance to Asia is being taken seriously by the Pentagon and industry, there is mounting evidence that says otherwise. A recent posting by contracting giant SAIC shows Special Operations Command – Africa, US Special Operations Command’s TSOC (Theater Special Operations Command) is quite serious about Africa, and is actively seeking open source analysts to “conduct Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) gathering, while deployed to JSOTF-TS Area of Responsibility defined as (Algeria, Tunisia, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Morocco, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, and Chad).” The posting goes on to stipulate “the contractor shall provide Open Source Intelligence Analysis and linguist support. Analysts may be deployed for a six-month period within selected countries OEF-TS AOR Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and Niger. These Open Source Analysts shall support missions of JSOTF persistent elements based primarily within U.S. Embassies that are conducted at the Secret level.”
A op-ed released on Memorial Day talked endlessly about a supposed civil-military divide, going so far as to exclaim”enlisted ranks disproportionately recruited from the disadvantaged”. Data recently prepared and released by the Defense Manpower Data Center shows that the majority of enlistees over the past two to three fiscal years are from predominantly affluent and well-educated households, in some cases the highest numbers of enlistees in the advanced technical fields come from the wealthiest areas of the country.
Duke’s Casey Carroll, fresh off leading the school to a hard-won title, is a Ranger with 75th Ranger Regiment, 3rd Battalion–a critical component of U.S. Army Special Operations Command. He joined the Army after graduating and spent 2007-12 serving overseas, but because of a knee injury his junior year, he had a year of eligibility left. After enrolling at Duke’s business school, he earned a spot again on the lacrosse roster, nearly a decade after he started. In January, in a preseason practice, Carroll tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, ending his season early. He stayed with the team as a de facto coach and mentor, hoping and believing a day like yesterday would come. Around the time Duke’s roster grew by one, Carroll and his wife found out their family would grow by one too. Casey Patrick Carroll was born in September. Through the fall, Carroll juggled his family, school and lacrosse obligations. That’s how it went until late in January, when Carroll tore his ACL, prematurely ending his season. “There’s no way for a second that a guy like me can feel sorry for himself after being lucky so many times,” Carroll said. “If I used up all my luck overseas, then I’m fine with that.”
Designs for many of the nation’s most sensitive advanced weapons systems have been compromised by Chinese hackers, according to a report prepared for the Pentagon and to officials from government and the defense industry. Among more than two dozen major weapons systems whose designs were breached were programs critical to U.S. missile defenses and combat aircraft and ships, according to a previously undisclosed section of a confidential report prepared for Pentagon leaders by the Defense Science Board.
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
When it comes to intelligence analysis, there are many misconceptions out there. While reputable commentators are pontificating, The Associated Press set out to chronicle the way management throughout the intelligence community ensures dissent is encouraged in order to provide the policymakers the best possible information possible, with as little groupthink as possible. The intelligence community has weathered criticism over the years for a variety of reasons, the lead up to Iraq among them.
ON TECH, PRIVACY AND SECRECY
A New York Times op-ed over the weekend called for a cyberattack campaign for Syria, leaving readers with more questions than answers. While explicitly stating they author preferred cyberattack, the editorial goes on to outline a plan that includes, among other things, portable stations that would function as WiFi routers and offensive electronic warfare stations simultaneously.
Google intends to build expansive wireless networks across the continents of Africa and Asia, using high-altitude balloons and blimps. The company is intending to finance, build and help operate networks from sub-Saharan Africa to Southeast Asia, with the aim of connecting around a billion people to the web. To help enable the campaign, Google has been putting together an ecosystem of low-cost smartphones running Android on low-power microprocessors. Rather than traditional infrastructure, Google’s signal will be carried by high-altitude platforms–balloons and blimps–that can transmit to areas of hundreds of square miles.
The annual sublet rush is well underway in the environs surrounding the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Counterterrorism Center.
CONTRACT WATCH
Blackberries are still in heavy use across the U.S. government, and government contractors are still looking for mobile device pros to help administer them. Blackberry recently released the Q10, an updated spin on the venerable Washington status symbol.
