Future Naval Warfare, Defense Acquisition Reform, and Superdrones

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Monday Mourning & Houston, we have a problem.

FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM

1. Jobs for flying squirrels. Contributor David Brown reports, “If you hold a security clearance, there’s a good chance you’ve done some traveling in your day, whether as a soldier, spy, consultant, or Foreign Service officer. If you’d like to put that clearance and experience to good use, here are four types of jobs that often advertise travel requirements of 75% or greater—more than enough to keep you on the road or in the air.”

2. Boots off the ground. Editor Lindy Kyzer reports, “Congress and the Pentagon still can’t come to terms on Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC). But whether Congress likes it or not, the Department of Defense is looking to reduce its ‘bootprint’ by cutting infrastructure. Federal News Radio recently outlined the DoD vs. BRAC battle, and the Pentagon’s options for unilaterally closing military facilities.” Read Federal News Radio’s report.

THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT

1. Asian pivot: putting THAAD in Korea. The Diplomat’s Robert E. Kelly explains, “The U.S. would like to deploy its Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) missile defense system. But THAAD has become quite controversial locally, because the Chinese strongly oppose deployment. The South Korean left especially, traditionally wary of too much association with the Americans, has hesitated. But Beijing’s imperiousness on the issue is becoming itself an issue in Korea. At the moment, public opinion here seems to be slowly drifting toward deployment.” See also, “Indonesia eyes regular navy exercises with U.S. in South China Sea.”

2. A future of naval warfare. Breaking Defense’s Sydney J. Freedberg Jr. reports, “The seas are shrinking. As missiles grow longer-ranged and more precise, as sensors grow ever sharper, there are ever fewer places for a ship to hide. ‘A ship’s a fool to fight a fort,’ goes an old naval adage, because a land base can carry more ammunition and armor than anything that floats. Admirals have always been uneasy about bringing their fleets in range of shore-based weapons. . . . It’s a world in which naval warfare is very different — indeed, in which land-based forces can do so much damage to fleets that the conflict isn’t purely ‘naval’ anymore.”

3. A-10 downs USAF general. DoD Buzz’s Brendan McGarry reports, “The U.S. Air Force general who warned subordinates that praising the A-10 aircraft to lawmakers amounts to ‘treason’ has been fired . . . . Maj. Gen. James Post has been removed from his position as the second-highest ranking officer at Air Combat Command . . . . The decision was made by Gen. Herbert ‘Hawk’ Carlisle, head of the command, after he reviewed an Air Force Inspector General report that concluded Post’s comments had a ‘chilling effect’ on officers and ‘caused them to feel constrained from communicating with members of Congress’ . . . .”

4. Behind the Blackwater fight. The New York Times’ Matt Apuzzo reports, “Until the Nisour Square shooting, Blackwater was America’s most prominent and politically powerful security contractor, with more than $1 billion in government contracts. The company was a major donor to the Republican Party, and its founder, Erik Prince, was a favorite target for Democratic criticism. Though the emails do not indicate any political influence in the case, investigators clearly believed that the incoming Obama administration would be more willing to bring the machine-gun charges against the Blackwater contractors.”

CONTRACT WATCH

1. Defense acquisition reform. Defense One’s Jason Tama reports, “Late last month, the HASC chairman framed his ‘Agile Acquisition to Retain Technological Edge Act’ as a starting point for discussion, acknowledging that meaningful reform would take years and multiple pieces of legislation. . . . The widespread availability of advanced commercial technologies are making it harder for the U.S. military to sustain its technological advantage. The acquisition system needs an overhaul if it is to help turn the military into ‘the world’s fastest incorporator’ . . . .”

2. Army orders $80 million Shadows. Military & Aerospace Electronics Editor John Keller reports, “Textron Systems Corp. will provide new RQ-7B Shadow tactical unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) and ground-control systems under terms of a $79.5 million contract announced earlier this month. Officials of the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., awarded the contract to the Textron Systems Unmanned Systems segment in Hunt Valley, Md., for fiscal 2014 Shadow drone full rate production VII in support of the Army and U.S. Marine Corps. . . . The catapult-launched Shadow 200 tactical unmanned aircraft system provides Army and Marine Corps brigade commanders with reconnaissance, surveillance, targeting, and assessment.”

TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY

1. Superdrone: pushing the envelope of unmanned warfare. The Washington Post’s Christian Davenport reports, “The revolution in unmanned aerial flight has advanced quickly and in dramatic leaps, perhaps none more momentous than the historic landing of an autonomous Navy drone on an aircraft carrier. . . . But despite those breakthroughs, some powerful members of Congress and leading military think tanks say the Pentagon is being too cautious in its development of a technology that they think could push the boundaries of unmanned flight—and the future of warfare.”

2. Roots of homegrown terror: the Anarchist Cookbook. The Kernal’s Aaron Sankin reports, “It’s hard to say precisely when The Anarchist Cookbook, or at least excerpts from it, first landed online, but Usenet was almost undoubtedly the mechanism through which it made the leap from ink to a collection of ones and zeros. It’s difficult to overstate the significance of that transition. From Usenet, it spilled over onto the modern-day Internet.”

3. Encryption, privacy, and security. The Washington Post’s Ellen Nakashima and Barton Gellman report, “Law enforcement and intelligence officials have been warning that the growing use of encryption could seriously hinder criminal and national security investigations. But the White House, which is preparing a report for President Obama on the issue, is still weighing a range of options, including whether authorities have other ways to get the data they need rather than compelling companies through regulatory or legislative action.”

POTOMAC TWO-STEP

1. She runs! “Hillary Clinton entered the 2016 race for the White House on Sunday and the good news for her is that there are few serious contenders to challenge her for the Democratic nomination. The bad news is that there are few serious contenders to challenge her for the Democratic nomination. Because of her global profile and the lack of other prominent Democrats in the field, Clinton enters the race in a position that is perhaps unmatched in modern U.S. presidential politics.” See also, “The long road to a second campaign.”

2. Cruz missile. “Sen. Ted Cruz borrowed the ‘#ReadyForHillary’ hashtag used by Hillary Clinton’s supporters in the run-up to her official campaign launch to criticize the Democratic candidate on the heels of her announcement Sunday. ‘We’re ready for Hillary,’ the Texas Republican said in a video posted to his Facebook page just minutes after Clinton released her launch video. ‘We know exactly what to expect. Hillary Clinton represents the failed policies of the past.’ Cruz, who was the first politician from either major party to formally announce his candidacy for president, tied Clinton to President Obama in what is sure to be a common Republican tactic in the coming months.”

OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS

1. “The Abuse of Satire.” Cartoonist Garry Trudeau argues, “It’s not easy figuring out where the red line is for satire anymore. But it’s always worth asking this question: Is anyone, anyone at all, laughing? If not, maybe you crossed it.” See also, “Victim-Blaming: Gary Trudeau blasts Charlie Hebdo’s ‘hate speech.’”

2. “Shades of Gray in Afghanistan.” The Diplomat contributor Brig. Gen. James L. Creighton recounts, “Matiullah Khan was a quiet, enigmatic tribal leader who rose to the rank of brigadier general in the Afghan National Police. He cared deeply for his people, despised the Taliban, and was instrumental in maintaining security in the region. . . .”

3. “When ‘Killer Robots’ Declare War.” Defense One contributor Alexander Velez-Green argues, “As delegates debate the future of LAWS [Lethal Autonomous Weapon Systems] at the United Nations this week, due consideration of these questions will help ensure that LAWS continue to serve the purposes of humanity and do not unexpectedly take humans to war.”