The Cyber Loop: Strategic Thought on the Cyberspace Domain

A new addition to the Blogs of War blogroll:

The Cyber Loop is a group of carefully selected strategists who have banded together to further the development of strategic thought in the cyberspace domain. The Cyber Loop is not chartered by the government, military or any private organization.

The genesis for the Loop project was the realization that compared to other domains (land, sea, air and space) , not enough strategic thought is being applied to cyberspace, the newest domain of where conflict may arise, other than by a relatively small group of individuals. Much of the discussions about cyberspace still revolve around tactical and operational-level issues.

The goal of the Loop is to develop a community of high-caliber thinkers to further the development of strategic thought on the cyberspace domain. Several General Officers, Ambassadors, senior Federal government officials, members of academia and members of industry are active members of the Loop.

Check it out.

NSA To Participate in the First Intelligence Community Virtual Career Fair

The National Security Agency (NSA) will participate in the first Intelligence Community (IC) Virtual Career Fair on Tuesday, March 16, from 10 a.m. – 8 p.m. ET. This free, online event will allow registered job seekers to learn about available IC jobs, including NSA careers, interact with recruiters online, and apply to open positions from the comfort of their homes.

“We’re excited to be able to use the latest information technology to ‘virtually’ reach out to talented applicants across the Nation and let them know about the exciting career opportunities here at NSA and across the IC,” said NSA Human Resources director Kathy Hutson.

The IC, an integrated network of agencies that work together to protect our Nation’s security, is seeking a culturally diverse, technically savvy workforce for exciting careers in a number of fields. The virtual career fair will highlight hundreds of career opportunities available nationwide in a wide array of disciplines to include cybersecurity/information assurance, intelligence analysis, business management, engineering, and foreign languages.

Attendees will also be able to live-chat with recruiters, learn about and apply to open positions, watch video presentations, participate in live questions and answer sessions, upload/manage documents in their virtual briefcase, and create avatars of themselves – all in a 3-D environment.

Other participating agencies include: Central Intelligence Agency, Defense Intelligence Agency, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Department of Homeland Security, Navy Intelligence, National Reconnaissance Office, and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency.

Interested individuals can register now online at www.ICVirtualFair.com. After March 16, the IC Virtual Career Fair will be accessible on demand for 90 days (until June 14, 2010) without chat capabilities. Online registration will be open until the close of the 90-day on-demand period.

NSA PRESS RELEASE
25 Jan 2010
For further information contact:
NSA Public and Media Affairs, 301-688-6524

DNI Dennis Blair Delivers Landon Lecture at Kansas State – Despite Bomb Threat

It was only a minor annoyance thanks to what appears to be solid contingency planning by authorities:

It was around 1:00 Monday afternoon when a bomb threat was called in for McCain Auditorium, the site where Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair was to give a Landon Lecture at 1:30.

Monday’s K-State Landon Lecture with the Director of National Intelligence was moved because of a bomb threat. 49 News Manhattan Bureau Reporter Lindsey Elliott explains where the lecture was moved to and how K-Staters handled the threat.

K-State Media Relations say the building had already been checked by dogs, but the location was moved to be safe.

While the new location was being checked by K-State Police and Kansas State Troopers, hundreds wanting to hear Blair’s speech waited outside of Forum Hall. One of those waiting was Topekan Olive Ubel who says she didn’t mind the safety precaution.

“It was handled very well, very smoothly,” Ubel said. “I was very proud of the way K-State did it.”

The lecture proceeded after a short delay:

Quoting Governor Alf Landon, Blair said, “We must face the challenges of new realities of international life today.”

He spoke about three major shifts, or hinge points, that have affected all national security organizations, have been especially important to the Intelligence Community and have created the current reality of international life.

First, the end of the Cold War changed everything, said Blair. For example, in Latin America the focus was previously on what the Soviets were doing there. Now the Intelligence Community must focus on each country in Latin America individually. Colombia, being the primary source for cocaine in the United States, is a focus for the Intelligence Community as they investigate and analyze drug organizations, the government, armed forces in the country and Columbia’s relations with its neighboring countries.

The second hinge point, Blair said, was the information revolution. Internet, e-mail, audio and video, all of it became readily available for use and changed the way the intelligence community operates.

“We can leverage virtual teams of intelligence officers linked together around the world,” said Blair. “The term ‘connect the dots’ is overused, often misused, but it has a large grain of truth.”

More on ODNI:
Office of the Director of National Intelligence
Wikipedia entry

Live Video: NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen Today at 1:00 p.m.

The event is hosted by the Center for a New American Security:

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and Georgetown University will host a major speech by NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen titled ““NATO: Delivering Real Security in an Age of Uncertainty” on the challenges and opportunities – including operations in Afghanistan – for the over 60-year-old Alliance.

Secretary General Rasmussen – who has been called “NATO’s reformer” by TIME Magazine – is responsible for steering the decision-making and implementation process within the Alliance. His public service career has spanned decades and has included top leadership and foreign policy positions within the Danish government, including Prime Minister, which he served from 2005 to 2009.

You can register here.