FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
1. Sweat the Small Stuff. Contributor Andrew Levine writes, “There are a number of seemingly minor omissions that commonly appear on an applicant’s SF-86. Standing alone, they will rarely have a profound impact on the efficiency of your investigation. However, an accumulation of such omissions when completing the SF-86 could, at a minimum, substantially lengthen the personal interview.”
2. Top Cleared News of 2014. “Security clearance topics made headlines in 2014, from scrutiny of polygraph procedures to legislation to fight insider threats. ClearanceJobs.com remains the best place for security clearance news, policy updates and information. Here is a round-up of the headlines that got your interest in 2014.”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
1. The Longest War Gets Longer. In an interview on the CBS program 60 Minutes, Afghanistan’s president suggested a longer U.S. presence in the still-struggling nation. “With the deadline less than two years away for the total withdrawal of U.S.-led coalition troops from his country, Afghanistan’s new president says that timeframe may need to be “re-examined.”…Critics have long questioned the local troops’ morale, discipline, and competence in the face of Taliban attacks. According to a United Nations report, 2014 was the deadliest year on record for non-combatants in Afghanistan, with at least 3,188 civilians killed in the intensifying war.”
2. U.S. Drone Strikes in Pakistan. The New York Time”s reports from Peshawar, Pakistan, “At least six foreign militants were believed to have been killed in an American drone strike in the North Waziristan tribal region on Sunday morning, a Pakistani security official said. The Pakistani official said a drone fired two missiles into a compound in the Datta Khel subdistrict at 6:40 a.m. The area is close to the border with Afghanistan and to Miram Shah, the main town in North Waziristan and the site of the region’s administrative headquarters.”
3. U.S. Drone Fleet at a ‘Breaking Point’. The Daily Beast’s Dave Majumdar reports, “The Air Force has enough MQ-1 Predator and MQ-9 Reaper drones. It just doesn’t have the manpower to operate those machines. The Air Force’s situation is so dire that Air Combat Command (ACC), which trains and equips the service’s combat forces, is balking at filling the Pentagon’s ever increasing demands for more drone flights.”
CONTRACT WATCH
1. DARPA Seeks a Software Brain to Power the Next-Gen UAV. DefenseNews.com reports, “’Birds and flying insects maneuver easily at high speeds near obstacles,” DARPA’s solicitation notes. ‘The FLA program asks the question ‘How can autonomous flying robotic systems achieve similar high-speed performance?’ DARPA envisions such a system performing reconnaissance in areas previously considered denied, such as a protected or structurally damaged building.”
2. Insight Into Navy’s Railgun Plans. Jane’’s 360 reports, “Clues to the direction of travel for the US Navy’s (USN’s) electromagnetic railgun programme have emerged via a request for information (RFI) issued in error by Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA). Posted on the government’s FedBizOpps website on 22 December 2014 and cancelled less than four hours later, the notice invited industry and academic institutions to submit ideas for the development of a railgun fire-control sensor (FCS) to support the detection, tracking, and engagement of surface, air, and ballistic missile threats.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
1. Upending the Economics of Space Travel. The New York Times reports, “In rocketry, what goes up usually comes down in pieces. The cost of getting to orbit is exorbitant, because the rocket, with its multimillion-dollar engines, ends up as trash in the ocean after one launching…”Reusability is the critical breakthrough needed in rocketry to take things to the next level,” said Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX.”
2. DHS Document Dump Puts Energy Infrastructure at Risk. Defense One’s Patrick Tucker reports, “Here’s the background: On July 3, DHS, which plays “key role” in responding to cyber-attacks on the nation, replied to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request on a malware attack on Google called “Operation Aurora.” Unfortunately, as Threatpost writer Dennis Fisher reports, DHS officials made a grave error in their response. DHS released more than 800 pages of documents related not to Operation Aurora but rather the Aurora Project, a 2007 research effort led by Idaho National Laboratory demonstrating how easy it was to hack elements in power and water systems.”
3. New U.S. Stealth Jet Can’t Fire its Jets. The Daily Beast reports, “The Pentagon’s newest stealth jet, the nearly $400 billion Joint Strike Fighter, won’t be able to fire its gun during operational missions until 2019, three to four years after it becomes operational. Even though the Joint Strike Fighter, or F-35, is supposed to join frontline U.S. Marine Corps fighter squadrons next year and Air Force units in 2016, the jet’s software does not yet have the ability to shoot its 25mm cannon. But even when the jet will be able to shoot its gun, the F-35 barely carries enough ammunition to make the weapon useful.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
1. Bye-Bye, Boehner?: “Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Texas) said Sunday that he will challenge John Boehner (R-Ohio) as Speaker in the new Congress. “I’m putting my name out there today to be another candidate for Speaker,” Gohmert said on “Fox and Friends.” Gohmert said that after “years of broken promises, it’s time for a change.””
2. GOP Senate Pushes for a 5-day Work Week – For Itself “Republicans said Sunday that the new GOP-led Congress will worker longer hours and force lawmakers to take tough votes that define elected officials for their constituents. Mr. McConnell, Kentucky Republican, said he’ll focus the Senate’s agenda on jobs and the economy, including approving the Keystone XL oil pipeline, pushing back against what the president’s use of executive actions, and repealing all or pieces of President Obama’s signature health care law.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
1. The Afghan President’s Overreach and the Path to Peace The New York Times editorial board writes, “A State Department poll conducted in late October found that a growing number of Afghans favor amnesty for Taliban leaders, according to a summary of the findings obtained by The Times, findings that have not been previously disclosed. The poll found that 66 percent of Afghans would be amenable to amnesty for insurgents if it paved the way for a peace deal. ”
2. What a Recovery Really Feels Like. Robert Samuelson at the Washington Post writes, “Hello, 2015. We now are in the sixth year of economic recovery since the end of the “Great Recession” in mid-2009, says the National Bureau of Economic Research, a group of academic economists that dates business cycles. But, if upbeat economic forecasts come true, this could be the first year that feels like a recovery…The question now is whether almost six years of this has had a calming effect — no further disaster has ensued — and restored some optimism. Is the economic slog really over? Or are we just fooling ourselves?”
