SIGNAL Connections

The newest version of a proven cryptographic system is being embedded in many of the most advanced platforms entering service in the U.S. military. The Advanced Infosec Machine (AIM) microchip is a programmable, embeddable security engine for cryptography processing. AIM is a key part of several major defense programs such as the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) and the F-22 raptor.

AIM is the cryptographic engine in the JTRS Enhanced Multiband Inter/Intra Team Radio (MBITR) (JEM) radio and the JTRS Handheld, Manpack and Small Form Fit radio. It also is the cryptographic engine for the radios in the JTRS airborne, maritime and fixed programs, explains Bill Ross, director of the information assurance systems and programs business unit at General Dynamics C4 Systems. The chip is embedded in the General Dynamics-manufactured Digital Modular Radio used by the U.S. Navy. 

Steady progress in communications in the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan has dramatically sped up the pace of coalition combat, security, governance and development operations throughout the country. From the tactical perspective, this progress is increasing shared situational awareness and boosting collaboration among nations.

Lt. Col. John Burger, USA, chief, Strategic Programs Branch, J-6, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM), MacDill Air Force Base, Florida, explains that at the opening of operation Enduring Freedom, the U.S. services used the available radios and networks to create the main hub areas in the tactical signal units. Staying in touch primarily meant using mobile subscriber equipment and other devices that rely on line of sight for communicating.

The terrain fundamentally distinguishes communications in operation Enduring Freedom from communications in operation Iraqi Freedom, Col. Burger points out. While line-of-sight communications capabilities can be used to share information for miles in the desert or over other relatively flat terrain, in Afghanistan, “they’re just not going to work,” he says.

A staggering amount of sensitive information, from personnel reviews to contracts and medical records, traverses the federal government’s computer network. Integral to this information-sharing process is a common network on-ramp, the connected digital copier. No longer the slow analog machine of yesteryear, digital copiers are versatile imaging systems that support stand-alone copying and network-based scanning, faxing and printing. Also referred to as a multifunctional product (MFP), digital copiers utilize network resources to enhance workflow and productivity. At the same time, an MFP poses a unique security challenge.

One solution is the Common Access Card (CAC). Developed as an insider threat prevention tool, CAC authentication solutions are marketed by major office equipment manufacturers, including Canon, eCopy, Hewlett-Packard, Lexmark, Ricoh and Xerox. Starting in 2001, the U.S. Defense Department began issuing CACs to all active-duty personnel, civilian employees and eligible contractors. With 3.5 million in circulation today, the credit-card-size CAC is a primary form of identification, allowing physical access to Defense Department buildings as well as logical access to the department’s desktop and laptop computers.

The AFCEA International Small Business Committee’s programs are developed with two small business needs in mind: access and education. The committee provides opportunities to interact with key individuals in government and industry for networking and relationship building. Educational offerings address the skills necessary for small businesses to work more efficiently and grow their organizations.

AFCEA’s Doing Business with the Federal Government Small Business Conference in Philadelphia, taking place this week, is an offering that combines the two goals. This conference is structured to assist small businesses in cultivating the federal government customer. Content focuses on the stages in the business development cycle, including identification of the best-fit opportunities for a business’s core competencies, management of the capture process and continued growth of the business.

The conference consists of four separate educational sessions that illuminate key elements in the business development cycle. This is followed by a government panel to offer attendees insights to improve their chances of success by knowing how to approach agencies in the most efficient and effective way.

The Hampton Roads Chapter hosted “Lunch and Learn,” a new outreach event, in August for the staff of the information

Col. Joseph J. Frazier, USA, former acting commandant of the Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), discusses his experience as an AFCEA member with the audience during the Hampton Roads Chapter’s Lunch and Learn in August.

The Northern Virginia Chapter's Young AFCEAN committee raised $22,000 for the Wounded Warrior Project during the chapter-sponsored Army Information Technology Day in July. The committee allocated the funds to military patients at WalterReedArmyMedicalCenter in Washington, D.C. Donations included gift cards to restaurants and mass retailers such as Target in addition to monetary contributions.

Katie Gladhill, Young AFCEAN committee (YAC) chair, and the YAC members contacted Chuck Giasson, Northern Virginia Chapter member and a Wounded Warrior Project representative through the Northern Virginia Roundtable, for help in locating a program that supports returning warfighters. “The Wounded Warrior Project allowed [the YAC] to provide funding…in an extremely fast fashion. This just happened to be an excellent partnership opportunity at the time in our fundraising event schedule,” shares Jeff Li, Northern Virginia YAC member.

AFCEA International is pleased to announce the creation of the new Baghdad Chapter. The chapter’s presence will help further the establishment of a viable network for Iraqi information technology professionals and will serve as a collaborative forum for Iraqi and U.S. industry, government and military personnel.

The chapter’s formation has been in development for the past six months. AFCEA’s expansion policy committee supported the creation of the chapter and recently submitted a proposal to the executive committee, which approved the chapter’s formation. To establish a chapter in a country where no previous chapter exists, a chapter must obtain a petition of at least 25 members, the recommendation of the expansion policy committee, the recommendation of the president and chief executive officer of AFCEA International, and the approval of the executive committee in order to be granted charter status.

Curt Adams, director of member and chapter services, credits Col. Karlton Johnson, USAF, J-6, Multinational Security Transition Command—Iraq (MNSTC-I), and chapter president, as the “prime mover” behind the chapter’s charter status. Others who played a key role in the chapter’s formation include Col. Brian Moore, USA, vice president; 1st Lt. Ashley Pyles, USAF, secretary; and Capt. Stephen Grundorf, USA, treasurer.

Fairfax County Public Schools won a regional Emmy Award in June for the second installment of its documentary series Flight School. The documentary series was funded in part by AFCEA’s Northern Virginia Chapter, which donated $350,000 to Fairfax County Public Schools’ multimedia department and its co-producer, the Smithsonian National Air and SpaceMuseumSteven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The series features four interactive electronic field trips designed for students in grades four through eight. It aims to introduce students to the mathematics and science principles involved in the evolution of flight. “FlightSchool: Higher, Faster, Farther!” is the second installment in the series and won the regional Emmy in the Instructional-Information Program category. The National Capital Chesapeake Bay Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presented the award at the 50th Annual Emmy Awards. In the episode, students are shown the scientific principles that make controlled heavier-than-air flight possible through interviews with curators and discussions of rare artifacts.