By Evan H. Lesser, Co-founder and Managing Director, ClearanceJobs.com

With some economists predicting as much as half a decade until U.S. unemployment lowers to the historical norm of 5%, this will not be an equitable jobs recovery and in certain industries – some jobs are likely gone for good. Unlike the sectors hit hard by the recession, the U.S. defense, homeland security, and intelligence industry has been largely untouched by the economic slowdown. Bolstered by the largest line items in the Federal budget, the business of protecting the U.S. and our foreign interests is characterized by its tight labor pool. In particular, workers with active Federal security clearance remain in high demand. With more open jobs than qualified candidates to fill them, security-cleared professionals in the defense and intelligence industry remain in an enviable career position. Simply put, a security clearance opens more than just doors to classified information – it opens doors to a secure career.

However, just because a worker has received a security clearance does not mean they have the ability to maintain it. Periodic reinvestigations of clearance holders are designed to ensure cleared professionals remain suitable for access to classified information. If the results of a cleared worker’s reinvestigation are unfavorable, their security clearance can be revoked, leaving the worker without a job and a valuable career asset…

Guest Article by Ian Cookson

If 2008 can be characterized as a year in which private equity buyers battled to acquire aircraft component manufacturers, then 2009 was a time of strategic acquirers fighting to secure defense technologies.

2009 was a relatively strong year for mergers and acquisitions. Defense technology saw a 6% increase in M&A activity in 2009 with a particularly strong second half of the year. This contrasts with M&A activity as a whole, which showed a 9% decline in the number of U.S. transactions across all sectors. M&A activity is likely to continue as the DoD, shaped by the 2010 QDR, shifts away from “big iron” and focuses on high-demand, low density assets such as unmanned aircraft, cyber security, and Command, Control, Communication, intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C3ISR) technology. Defense contractors and government IT providers, mirroring these shifts in spending priorities, are actively looking to acquisitions to enhance their capabilities. Earnings for our defense IT company index rose 8% (EBITDA) during the year, and defense electronics company earnings rose 5%...

Guest Article by Vince Pavlak

There have been numerous comparisons between the automotive and aerospace industries, and an October 2009 article from Aviation Week even asked, “Could Wichita become the next Detroit?” Many aircraft suppliers are learning from the automotive industry and some have recruited executives from the sector. Given the recent turmoil and challenges faced by the cyclicality of the automotive industry and its participants, the actions taken may provide valuable insights for the aerospace industry, which has historically also endured its share of volatility.

During the past 18 months, the automotive industry experienced one of the worst periods in its history. All industry participants, from original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and suppliers, to automotive dealers, were affected. Suppliers experienced significant volume declines, immense liquidity constraints and a severe tightening of the credit markets. Few companies were adequately prepared, and all were required to adapt quickly to the new economic conditions and take significant actions to remain viable. This time period can truly be characterized as a fight for survival in which there were many casualties.

While the extraordinary government aid at the OEM level clearly helped to stabilize the industry, we have found that supplier survival came down to the following key factors…

Nordic countries

Guest article by Per Bjorklund

In early 2009 proposals for a broader security and industrial compact emerged among Europe’s northern nations, in part as a response to a growing void at NATO’s center. It has been over a year since this landmark report on closer Nordic cooperation was released. The 13-point proposal was always very ambitious, complete with calls for a complete overhaul of the Nordic security structure, and the creation of an integrated Nordic military. As such one must be careful not to expect too much over so short a period of time, nor to underestimate the many obstacles still ahead.

While very specific, the Stoltenberg Rapport is all about the long term, as the external pressures it envisions come to impact the nations involved. Having said that, it is important to be aware of the substantial divergences in the views on security among the Nordic countries, something that continues to be a cause for difficulties. The pace of integration was never going to be solely dictated by its proponents’ high idealism, nor by the basically positive sentiment towards Nordic integration that exist even in supposedly neutral nations such as Finland and Sweden…

Sen. Tom Coburn

Guest article by Sen. Tom Coburn, R-OK

This memorandum describes what I believe are serious problems in our defense budget and some ideas to address them. I appreciate that some of these thoughts are controversial – even to the point that I have some reluctance in suggesting them. However, if we are to fulfill our mandate, we must make some difficult choices, not just recommend that others do so. In other cases, such as exacting financial accountability from the Department of Defense, I believe we all can agree. Indeed, without our adopting controversial, but vitally important, ideas, I fear we cannot achieve our mandate.

Despite the sacrifice, heroism, and professionalism that our military personnel have shown in Iraq and Afghanistan, America’s defenses have been decaying, despite – perhaps even because of – increasing budgets. The ongoing corrosion and growing expense have been with us for decades, and span numerous presidents and political parties. Our Commission affords us an opportunity to start some very late due diligence on national defense spending. If these reforms are taken without the usual forms of compromise that always seem to occur – and prevailing practices that corrode our defenses are truly discarded – a stronger American military will result.

(c) DJ Elliott

DJ Elliott is a retired USN Intelligence Specialist (22 years active duty) who has been analyzing and writing on Iraqi Security Forces developments since 2006. His Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle is an open-source compilation that attempts to map and detail Iraqi units and equipment, as their military branches and internal security forces grow and mature. While “good enough for government use” is not usually uttered as a compliment, US Army TRADOC has maintained permission to use the ISF OOB for their unclassified handouts since 2008.

This compilation is reproduced here with full permission. It offers a set of updates highlighting recent changes in the ISF’s composition and development, followed by the full updated ISF OOBs in PDF form. Reader feedback and tips are encouraged. This month’s developments include:

• Peshmerga
• Iraqi Army
• Iraqi Navy
• Iraqi Air Force
• Ministry of the Interior
• Additional Readings: Full ISF OOB
• Additional Readings: DID Articles
  Continue Reading… »

Guest Article by Mark R. Hamel and Charles J. Wolfe

Tofukuji Reiun-in
Gaun-no-niwa

Kaizen events often represent the initial rapid deployment vehicle for lean transformations. Effective events drive step-function improvement, momentum and organizational learning and engagement. But while many people gravitate to the technical side of kaizen events (hey, check out this cool kanban system!), it’s as much, if not more, about embedding lean principles and capabilities within the culture.

Only then can improvements become sustainable. Only then can the organization move from purely event driven kaizen to the much more powerful combination of (occasional) events and true daily kaizen – the frequent, small, process focused improvements conducted by engaged and enabled employees in their everyday work. This is what separates the lean pretenders from the lean practitioners.

• The 2 Cores
• Case Study: An Aerospace Success
• Eleven questions that lean leaders need to answer
• Tip From the Pros: When the Kaizen Circus Leaves Town
• The Transformation Leadership Model [NEW]
• Case Studies: What about that second shift? [NEW]
• Emotions… really? [NEW]
• Tip From the Pros: Fear Not [NEW]
• Conclusion: Ultimately, more than an event [NEW]

(c) DJ Elliott

DJ Elliott is a retired USN Intelligence Specialist (22 years active duty) who has been analyzing and writing on Iraqi Security Forces developments since 2006. His Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle is an open-source compilation that attempts to map and detail Iraqi units and equipment, as their military branches and internal security forces grow and mature. While “good enough for government use” is not usually uttered as a compliment, US Army TRADOC has maintained permission to use the ISF OOB for their unclassified handouts since 2008.

This January 2010 compilation is reproduced here with full permission. It offers a set of updates highlighting recent changes in the ISF’s composition and development, followed by the full updated ISF OOBs in PDF form. Reader feedback and tips are encouraged. This month’s developments include…

• December 2009 Updates
  • Weapons Orders
  • Peshmerga
  • Iraqi Army
  • Iraqi Navy
  • Iraqi Air Force
  • Ministry of the Interior
• Additional Readings: Full ISF OOB
• Additional Readings: DID Articles
  Continue Reading… »

(c) DJ Elliott

DJ Elliott is a retired USN Intelligence Specialist (22 years active duty) who has been analyzing and writing on Iraqi Security Forces developments since 2006. His Iraqi Security Forces Order of Battle is an open-source compilation that attempts to map and detail Iraqi units and equipment, as their military branches and internal security forces grow and mature. While “good enough for government use” is not usually uttered as a compliment, US Army TRADOC has maintained permission to use the ISF OOB for their unclassified handouts since 2008.

This December 2009 compilation is reproduced here with full permission. It offers a set of updates highlighting recent changes in the ISF’s composition and development, followed by the full updated ISF OOBs in PDF form. Reader feedback and tips are encouraged. This month’s developments include reports of a fighter plane contract, and significant shifts within Iraq’s ground force units, among others…

• November 2009 Updates
  • Iraqi Army
  • Iraqi Navy
  • Iraqi Air Force
  • Ministry of the Interior
• Additional Readings: Full ISF OOB
• Additional Readings: DID Articles
  Continue Reading… »

(click for firm site)

Over the last 5 years, AlixPartners’ aerospace practice has conducted an annual Global Aerospace & Defense Review of the industry. The survey evaluates financial performance, as measured by such indices as revenue growth, cash flow, and operating income, for the top 100 industry participants. Detailed analyses are conducted on topics of interest, involving examination of industry trends and interviews with senior industry executives. The entire survey typically involves 250 – 300 pages of analysis and conclusions.

While defense aerospace companies have not yet been subject to the same kinds of pressures that are already visible in civil aviation, cuts have already been announced in the 2010 defense budget. We believe that recent changes in the political, economic, and geo-strategic landscapes make it likely that those cuts are only the beginning of a long-term realignment in government spending. That realignment will be compounded by shifts within the supply chain itself, creating a set of imperatives that will put inattentive businesses at risk – even as they create opportunities for the prepared…

• Losing Altitude
• Depressed Defense?
• The Second Shift: The Supplier Imperative
• Beyond the Storm: What’s Next?
  Continue Reading… »