Friday Finale & This Time Last Year: Blackhawk Down, CIA and Domestic Spying, Suing the NSA
FROM THE DESK OF CLEARANCEJOBS.COM
Keeping the talent pipeline warm. Editor Lindy Kyzer writes, “Some employers falsely think that once they’ve built their talent pipeline, the work is done. But even more important than identifying top talent is fostering relationships with that talent. It’s those relationships that will lead to great hires. Here are five ways to keep your pipeline engaged and show your appreciation. . . . .”
Make it rain. Contributor and in-house counsel Sean Bigley advises, “If your clearance was denied, revoked, or suspended, then subsequently granted/reinstated, you may be entitled to cold, hard cash as compensation. But before you get too excited . . . .”
THE FORCE AND THE FIGHT
ISIS defector tells all. Reuters’ Guy Faulconbridge reports, “A disillusioned former member of Islamic State has passed a stolen memory stick of documents identifying 22,000 supporters in over 50 countries to a British journalist, a leak that could help the West target Islamist fighters planning attacks. . . .”
ISIS expands in Libya. AP’s Edith Lederer reports, “The political and security vacuum in Libya is being exploited by the Islamic State extremist group which has ‘significantly expanded’ the territory it controls in the conflict-torn north African nation, U.N. experts said in a report circulated Thursday.”
Pyongyang’s nuclear road. Vice News’ Keegan Hamilton reports, “Given the uneasy state of affairs on the Korean peninsula, it’s easy to forget that barely a decade ago, Pyongyang agreed to abandon its pursuit of nuclear weapons altogether. In September 2015, as part of the Six Party Talks with the US, Russia, China, South Korea, and Japan, North Korea reached an agreement to denuclearize in exchange for fuel aid and other incentives. The success was short-lived.” See also, “Kim orders more nuclear tests” and “How worried should we be?”
CONTRACT WATCH
$22 billion MyVA IT contract. FedScoop’s Billy Mitchell reports, “The Department of Veterans Affairs awarded numerous contracts amounting to $22.3 billion Tuesday for the technical support services, program management and infrastructure development behind its MyVA transformation. Using the Transformation Twenty-One Total Technology Next Generation acquisition program, or T4NG, the department Tuesday awarded 21 companies of various sizes contracts to support MyVA, a department wide initiative launched last year to improve customer service to veterans.”
Lockheed layoffs. The Start-Telegram’s Steve Kaskovich reports, “Lockheed Martin is looking to trim about 1,000 white-collar positions from its Fort Worth-based aeronautics division through voluntary layoffs . . . . Buyout offers are being made to mid-level salaried employees throughout the division which includes operations in Fort Worth; Marietta, Georgia; Palmdale, California; Meridian, Mississippi; Clarksburg, West Virginia; Patuxent River, Maryland; and Edwards Air Force Base in California.”
TECH, PRIVACY, & SECRECY
Area 6: drone desert. Defence Talk reports, “Deep in the Nevada desert is a top secret, little-known US military facility known as Area 6, rumored to be the Pentagon’s test ground for cutting-edge unmanned aerial vehicles. . . . Little is known about secretive location. Satellite imagery from Google Earth shows three separate hangars, as well as four small buildings. Stretching 5,000 feet into the desert is a runway.”
Innovation initiatives. Government Executive’s Charles S. Clark reports, “The Obama administration is rolling out a new weapon in the perennial battle against contract cost overruns and agencies taking delivery of instantly obsolete software. Acquisition Innovation Labs . . . each agency will appoint acquisition innovation advocates (AIAs) to promote testing of new ideas and better ways of executing existing practices in their agencies through managed risk-taking.” See also, “Fostering a Culture of Innovation Across Government.”
F-35 lessons. Defense One’s Marcus Weisgerber reports, “The sixth-generation fighter effort is still in its infancy; the aircraft it produces may not fly for decades. The Pentagon hasn’t even decided whether to build separate planes for the Navy and Air Force. But the services’ leaders are already cooperating to figure out how the futuristic fighter will fit into the battlefield of the future — and how they can avoid another tactical aircraft program that winds up so late, over budget, and short of its goals.”
STEM shortage. Homeland Security News Wire reports, “A new rule published by DHS this week allows foreign students in science and technology to extend their stay in the United States under the Optional Practical Training (OPT) program. The new rule will go into effect in May, and it will allow STEM graduates to stay and work in the United States for up to thirty-six months.”
POTOMAC TWO-STEP
Oh, stop it. “House Speaker Paul Ryan’s political operation sent a cease-and-desist letter on Thursday to a group that is trying to draft him as a Republican presidential candidate, urging it to halt its activities and warning of legal risk. . . . Ryan’s name has been mentioned often as an alternative. But he has said he does not want to run for president this year and has disavowed the Committee to Draft Speaker Ryan group.”
Where else but . . . “During a seven-minute toast Obama made to the visiting Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie Grégoire-Trudeau, the president praised Canada for the positive things it has given to America. ‘Where else could a boy born in Calgary run for president of the United States?’ Obama said about Cruz, born in Calgary, Alberta in 1970.”
OPINIONS EVERYONE HAS
“The decline of Saudi Arabia as a major power.” Salon contributor Vijay Prashad argues, “America’s Kingdom overreached. In doing so, it destroyed several Arab states. This is not the time for scorn. This is the time for great sadness for what has befallen great Arab societies, which will have to dig deep into their resilience to rebuild their communities.”
“Making Russia Think Twice About Nuclear Threats.” War on the Rocks contributor Paul I. Bernstein argues, “Persuading Russia to show nuclear restraint should be a priority. President Obama should address this challenge directly. Doing so would be consistent with his longstanding commitment to reduce nuclear risks and signal that this is a serious issue.” See also, “National Dialogue on Nuclear Deterrent Vital.”
“Detecting Lies.” Inc. contributor Chris Haroun writes, “Ten years ago, when I worked at a large investment company, management hired 25-year ex-CIA and FBI veterans to teach me how to tell when a CEO is lying to us. . . .”
“Boost Your Motivation For Work.” Fast Company contributor Laura Vanderkam writes, “Some days you feel on top of the world. Others, not so much. For the latter, here’s a cheap and easy solution: a quick, motivational read. For less than $20 on an e-reader and an hour or two of your time, you get the shot in the arm you need. These books may not change your life, but they might change tomorrow morning, and sometimes that’s good enough.”
