CLEARANCE JOBS” By Steve Leonard “Nearly half of 200,000 veterans entering the workforce annually leave their first job within a year and roughly 80% within two years. We need to have a a greater purpose. When we don’t find one, we move on until we find it.” _________________________________________________________________________________ “Act 2, Scene 1. Less than six months into my second career, I was miserable. I had a job, a good salary, and a small group of new friends.

“MILITARY TIMES” By Ellen Ioanes “House lawmakers and government watchdogs express skepticism about the Defense Department’s ability to produce a clean financial audit by a Dec. 31, 2028, statutory deadline.“ ______________________________________________________________________________ “The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on the DoD years-long struggle to produce a clean financial audit despite claiming around half of the government’s discre

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Entering government contracting as a small businesses is indeed a challenging time, but there are many opportunities awaiting you. Capitalize on those opportunities and win your first federal government contract.“ ___________________________________________________________________________ “One of the biggest challenges for a small business in government contracting is achieving that first major contract. A small business entering the field does no

“MILITARY TIMES” By Tanya Noury “A bipartisan group of lawmakers unveiled legislation that would dismantle the government agency responsible for maintaining the military draft database of young, eligible men.“ ________________________________________________________________________________ “The bill — advanced by Senators Ron Wyden, D-Ore., Rand Paul, R-Ky., and Cynthia Lummis, R-Wyo. — would phase out the Selective Service System, citing its annual operating cost of more tha

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Growth is a function of persistence and foresight. Know where your market is headed and get their first – then write and speak about your success indirectly by helping others. Demonstrate humility and a satisfaction in helping others succeed. They will find ways to give you credit. There are ways of tooting your horn without making peoples’ lights go out.“ ________________________________________________________________________________ 1. “Do not

“MODERN WAR INSTITUTE AT WEST POINT” “Victory’s been defeated; it’s time we recognized that and moved on to what we actually can accomplish. We’ve reached the end of victory’s road, and at this juncture it’s time to embrace other terms, a less-loaded lexicon, like “strategic advantage,” “relative gain,” and “sustainable marginalization.” Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Harvard Professor Steven Pinker triumphantly announced the peace deal between the government of C

CLICK IMAGE ABOVE IMAGE TO ENLARGE Weapons makers treasure threat-driven economic windfalls. Geopolitical values collide, without negotiation. Soldiers and civilians die in dramatic numbers. We must recognize the major factors driving warfare today while learning more about each other on a path to change. _________________________________________________________________________________ From Vietnam to the Balkans, from Iraq to Afghanistan – and now in Ukraine, coupled with co

Vermillion River Valley -Hastings, Minnesota https://www.flickr.com/photos/odysseyof_armaments/55286882489/in/dateposted-public/

“MILITARY TIMES” By Patricia Kime “More than three-fourths of 112 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers earned four- or five-star ratings from the federal government for quality, according to new data released.” ________________________________________________________________________________ “For the second year, no VA hospitals received a one-star rating from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, or CMS, the agency within the Department of Health and Human S

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Strategic guidance on The System for Award Management and factors for using it in small business marketing to government agencies and prime contractors.” ________________________________________________________________________________ “A PUBLIC DOMAIN ACQUISITIONS BULLETIN BOARD Established as the public announcement vehicle for federal procurement, SAM Contract Opportunities is a web-based, “Public Announcement Bulletin Board” to satisfy fairness

“SMALLTOFEDS”By Ken Larson “The FOIA is a law that gives you the right to access federal government information. It is often described as the law that keeps citizens in the know about their government. Agencies must disclose any information that is requested – unless that information is protected from public disclosure.” _________________________________________________________________________________ BACKGROUND Extract: United States Department of Justice Web Site: “Enacted

“SMALL TO FEDS“ By Ken Larson “As a volunteer counselor over the last 2 decades, I have noted common traits among the most successful small business federal government contractors. The following are 10 of the most prominent traits and tips on how successful small companies developed them.“ ________________________________________________________________________________ “Teaming with an existing firm and developing a capability statement and proposal that rings the bell on a g

“GEOPOLITICAL MONITOR” “In an eight-year aerial campaign between 1965-1973, US warplanes dropped around 800,000 tons of munitions, striking at least 55 of Vietnam’s 63 provinces and cities in an attempt to turn the tide of the war between the US-backed south and the communist-controlled North. A significant proportion of bombs failed to detonate on impact, and remain buried just beneath the surface in the countryside.” _________________________________________________________

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Becoming informed on government contract closeout steps and putting in place processes to support them in your business system is the most important general principal to remember.“ _______________________________________________________________________________ “If you are an off-the-shelf or purchased-finished supplier of goods to the federal government, your contact closeout is reasonably simple. You will make delivery at a firm, fixed price to t

“WALL STREET JOURNAL” – Red Scare By Matthew Hennessey “You can’t steal your way to greatness. And you can’t bluff your way to hegemony. Communism is a self-defeating ideology—impoverished, weak and ugly. So don’t worry too much about the future. It’s got America written all over it.” _________________________________________________________________________________ “President Trump’s visit to China has prompted Americans to reflect, as we periodically do, on the state of our

Vermillion River Valley - Hastings, Minnesota (click the link and then the pic for close-up view) https://www.flickr.com/photos/odysseyof_armaments/55275632610/in/dateposted-public/

“FEDERAL NEWS NETWORK” By Anastasia Obis “Military spouses headed to Capitol Hill to advocate for the Military Spouse Small Business Recognition Act — a bill designed to expand access to capital and Small Business Administration resources for military spouse entrepreneurs — and to secure a commitment from lawmakers to sponsor the legislation.” ________________________________________________________________________________ “More than 50 military spouse-owned businesses partic

GAO Report GAO-26-107861 “GAO is making four recommendations to DOD, including that the department provide enhanced analytic tools for regional operators; assess the National Access Elsewhere Security Oversight Center (NAESOC) risk response effort; and ensure ongoing stakeholder feedback”. ________________________________________________________________________________ “Fast Facts DOD’s Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency ensures that contractors are properly acce

“SMALLTOFEDS” By Ken Larson “Conducting business in the fast-paced modern era demands that company training be sophisticated, interactive and responsive to changing times. It should evolve out of core company processes and contain feedback mechanisms.” _________________________________________________________________________________ “As fast as things move these days if we don’t train and communicate effectively we are running very high risks. Some training will be global,

“Wargames can evaluate policy choices before they are made. Connect choices to a direct, scoreable comparison of what each reform would will put in the magazine on day one.” _______________________________________________________________________________ “One number buried in the Pentagon’s Fiscal Year 2027 budget request reveals a decade of acquisition decisions in a data point: The U.S. Navy is requesting 785 Tomahawk cruise missiles. In 2025, Congress funded 55. That 1,200