TechNet Tampa 2009 wrapped up with a keynote address by Maj. Gen. Jay W. Hood, USA, chief of staff, U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM). The general impressed upon the audience the importance of communications to all CENTCOM’s efforts which involve work in almost all the countries in the command’s area of operation, not only Iraq and Afghanistan. Communications are so necessary that to the command staff, a broken video teleconference connection is more of a problem than a broken rifle. Even the boots on the ground who use a rifle every day depend on reliable communications.

The general stated that one of his command’s needs is to increase the ability of ground troops to communicate on the move and over the horizon. Small units especially need these capabilities. One way operators are handling the issue is through Netted Iridium. “The Iridium network is now being leveraged [for] push-to-talk radios,” Gen. Hood said. Another major problem in the CENTCOM area is the lack of communications infrastructure. This hinders current communications, negatively affects CENTCOM’s ability to develop host nation security forces that are interoperable with the United States and others, and decreases information sharing capabilities. Gen. Hood explained that the infrastructure leading to theater is better than what is in theater, but those pathways need to be improved as well. Progress is being made in places like Afghanistan, where investment in infrastructure has led to an increase from a few hundred cellular telephones in that country a few years ago to more than 8 million being used today.

Another good development referenced by the general is the development of One Box, One Wire, or OB1. The National Security Agency has tested the tool, which combines multiple networks into one box, and given it high ratings for performance. Also on the horizon is the Theater Network Management Architecture, a CENTCOM effort to improve situational awareness across the command’s networks. Gen. Hood said it is critical for operational awareness and will enable personnel to see network events in real time rather than reacting to symptoms and fallout.

Lt. Gen. Carroll F. Pollett, USA, the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) made sure at the beginning of his keynote address that listeners understood he holds a dual leadership role in his current position. In addition to leading DISA, he also is the commander of the Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO). Gen. Pollett went on to explain that the two organizations he commands are linked, with DISA delivering enterprise capabilities and the JTF-GNO operating and defending the enterprise.

DISA and the JTF-GNO are working to operationalize  the cyberspace domain and empower warfighters to achieve information dominance. He explained that technology should not be looked at as a solution for leadership but as a way to enable the human element. The general also stated “I have a no-fail mission. I have no flexibility.” To succeed in his endeavors, he is looking for a change from an application mentality to a service mentality, and he has no interest in proprietary systems.

One of the general’s top priorities is command and control (C2). To enable C2 through information sharing he says programs such as Net-Enabled Command Capability and Net-Centric Enterprise Services are critical. The director is focused on becoming familiar with the requirements of all the programs at DISA, dedicating five hours a week to talking with his GS-15s and military colonels about their requirements and the operational aspects of their programs. Gen. Pollett’s goal is to address senior leadership with requirement adjustments when there are problems or to find ways to deliver capabilities to warfighters when something works well.

Gen. Pollett also addressed the change to the “New Normal.” He said, “We’ve got to change the way we’re operating if we’re going to protect the enterprise.” He also spoke of moving toward machine-to-machine capabilities because the military and its partners need to be abe to see the enemy and address threats. According to the general, personnel can not continue to make phone calls and fill out data logs to resolve problems.

This morning at TechNet Tampa 2009, Lt. Gen. Harry D. Raduege, Jr., USAF (Ret.), a member of the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Commission on Cybersecurity for the 44th Presidency, presented findings and recommendations from the commission’s report Securing Cyberspace for the 44th Presidency, released last December.  The report had three major findings: cybersecurity is now a major national security problem for the United States; decisions and actions must respect privacy and personal liberties; and only a comprehensive national security strategy that embraces domestic and international aspects of cyberspace will improve the situation.

The commission made 25 recommendations for improving cyberspace operations, several of which Gen. Raduege discussed in his presentation. These include creating a Comprehensive National Security Strategy for Cyberspace; partnering with the private sector; regulating cybersecurity; using acquisition rules to improve security; revising the Federal Information Security Management Act; conducting training for cybereducation and workforce development; and conducting research and development.

Changes are necessary to improve the state of cyberspace today. Gen. Raduege said estimates put the loss of intellectual property in cyberspace each year at $1 trillion. Other problems incude the breach of 45,000 Federal Aviation Administration employees’ information last month. In addition, cyberattacks against the United States and other countries continue to increase, resulting in sensitive information being stolen and comprised.

The commission’s complete report can be downloaded at http://www.csis.org/component/option,com_csis_pubs/task,view/id,5157/.

Additional SIGNAL coverage is available at http://www.afcea.org/signal/articles/anmviewer.asp?a=1815.

http://www.afcea.org/signal/articles/anmviewer.asp?a=1815&print=yes

Leadership from the intelligence and special operations communities discussed flattening networks to better conduct operations today during an unclassified intelligence panel this morning. Moderator Konrad Trautman, director of intelligence (J2), U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM), opened the discussion by emphasizing the importance of collaboration and reachback capabilities not only within the military intelligence community, but with partner organizations as well.

Maj. Gen. John DeFreitas III, USA, deputy director for analysis and production, SIGINT Directorate, National Security Agency (NSA), gave an overview of how NSA has evolved over time. He spoke of better understanding the agency’s customers’ needs and then providing the capabilities to meet those requirements. He also said that NSA is moving from a site-centric environment to a network-centric environment. The agency is continuing to develop a network-centric capability  as well as building an enterprise and working to improve data storage. To reach its goals, NSA and its partners have barriers to overcome such as acquisitions and funding. The general would like to see a more unified effort in the area among the organizations involved.

Maj. Gen. Brian Keller, USA, military executive at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency also spoke about data storage and the problems with data retrieval. At the beginning of his remarks he said his comments were directed at industry and academia and their ability to help solve the problems the intelligence community has with trying to obtain information in a timely manner from the overwhelming amount of data available. According to Gen. Keller, the military and its partners has to solve in the near-term how to store and retrieve data effectively and efficiently. This area will continue to grow in importance as imagery intelligence collection continues to grow. The final speaker on the panel, Maj. Gen. David Scott, the deputy director of the Center for Special Operations, SOCOM, echoed Gen. Keller by commenting that data mining tools are critical for today’s operations.

Vice Adm. Nancy Brown, USN, director, J6, The Joint Staff, provided an overview of Global Information Grid (GIG) 2.0, an effort to reduce barriers to information sharing. With cyber now an official warfighting domain, the military has to figure out how to navigate in that domain where networks are platforms and information is a payload. Adm. Brown says there are too many networks and GIG 2.0 is a framework to bring together service intranets to act as one global network.

GIG 2.0 has five characteristics that the admiral outlined in her presentation: global authentication, access control and directory services; unity of command; information and services “from the edge”; joint infrastructure; and common policies and standards. The tactical edge is in the center of the framework because GIG 2.0 is being developed to provide capability to the troops on the ground.

Adm. Brown specifically addressed GIG 2.0’s application to U.S. Central Command and U.S. Special Operations Command, both headquartered in Tampa, saying that it will reduce the number of networks necessary to conduct business and build trust among partners. She also gave an example of Web 2.0 efforts underway in her own division. The J6 has established a wiki for its Weekly Activity Report, allowing interested parties to see the information as it becomes available and reducing e-mails in the division by 50 percent.

In her final thoughts, Adm. Brown said, “We learned we can’t fight counterinsurgency from garrison.” Nor can the military succeed in the 2.0 world if networks are surrounded with security. Instead, it needs to embrace the new tools and figure out how to protect the information that needs to be protected.

Lt. Gen. Frank Kearney III, USA, deputy commander of U.S. Special Operations Command, shared frustrations he has with communications during a speech at TechNet Tampa, and told industry members how they can help. His first frustration is the lack of data exposure capabilities, which he illustrated by explaining the problems inherent in military medical records. The U.S. Defense Department and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) use two different systems, making it impossible for the VA to access the active duty records of service members without someone bringing information in on a desk or on paper.

Gen. Kearney’s second frustration is the inability for leaders to command and control from anywhere. Technology prevents decision makers from accessing the communications they need at any place, anytime. The third item on the general’s list is the absence of a Global Sensor Network. In that, the general envisions a single network with redundant communications and a single workstation. This network will help make information on the ground more transparent  to operators.

The final two frustrations the general voiced are the need for permanent infrastructure in the U.S. Central Command area of operation and the impact of Web 2.0 on the military. The military should take better advantage of new media offerings, but security is still an obstacle. Gen. Kearney appealed to industry for assistance. “We’re on the edge of change, but you have to help us,” he said.  

Gen. Kearney said that industry partners can play an important role in improving military communications through their technical developments and through sharing knowledge they already possess with the military.

The C4 Panel Session, “Breaking Down Barriers: Enabling a True Enterprise Network,” addressed the ongoing efforts and need within the military to break down barriers in information sharing. Brig. Gen. Mark Bowman, USA, J6, U.S Central Command (CENTCOM), moderated the panel, stressing the need for greater information passing ability. “The people who put up barriers should be ashamed of themselves,” he said. To illustrate his point of the critical nature of bandwidth and communication he related a story in which four unmanned aerial vehicles were dedicated to tracking a high-value target. Communication was lost for only a few seconds and the target disappeared for nine months.

The general continued, stating that CENTCOM’s area of operation (AOR) needs more bandwidth and that other combatant commands have more bandwidth to use, even though CENTCOM is handling two wars in its AOR. Also critical is spectrum management. “[Spectrum management] is the toughest job we have out there … It’s the underpinning of making everything else work,” Gen. Bowman stated.

Panelist Lt. Col. Samuel Anderson, USA, battalion commander, 112th Signal Battalion, added to the conversation by offering a special operations forces (SOF) viewpoint. He spoke to dispel the myth that SOF do not need communications with general purpose troops. Instead, he said that in many cases, “If we can’t talk to general purpose forces, we can’t operate.”

Col. Anderson also spoke about hassles with network permissions and SOF plans to allow access based on skill sets. Another idea he talked about was redesigning portals. He related an incident where a commander said he wanted his portal to resemble NFL.com. The commander uses that Web site to manage his fantasy football team and information on the statistics, strengths, weaknesses and more of his players are easily accessible and user intuitive. The same ideas could apply to managing troops and eliminating the enemy. Col. Anderson’s final take away for the audience was the need for more analysis on how to move intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance data from the lowest level back into the network.

Group Captain Ian Vellely, RAF, deputy director, CENTCOM J2, provided the panel with a coalition partner perspective and said that great progress had been made in breaking down barriers. He also mentioned that many remaining barriers are being addressed, though sometimes in baby steps. However, enough baby steps can take partners where they need to be. Group Captain Vellely spoke about the good and bad involved in information sharing, but he especially emphasized the need for partners to move forward with their eyes open. He stressed the need for decision makers to analyze potential risks as well as analyze and assess unintended consequences.

Senior Master Sgt. of the Army (Ret.) Jack Tilley opened TechNet Tampa in a manner that deviated from the norm. Instead of relying on people’s intellects and addressing the what and how of actions, he appealed to attendees’ feelings to address the why. The retired senior master sergeant told several stories about troops killed and injured in action during Vietnam as well as current operations, impressing upon listeners the importance of using their time at the conference well. “It’s about getting that kind of technology on the battlefield that saves lives,” he said.

Senior Master Sgt. of the Army (Ret.) Tilley took the audience through times in his life that had changed him, including meeting troops who had been wounded in combat. Just as Martin Luther King, Jr. used the line “I Have a Dream” to emphasize points during his famous speech, the retired soldier here employed the words “It’s about” to remind attendees why they should do what they do. Family, friend, God, country and protecting and defending the Constitution of the United States were a few of the reasons he provided for listeners to ponder.

At the end of his presentation, the retired senior master sergeant asked everyone to close their eyes and remember the 4,000 who have died and the 30,000-plus who have been injured during the current conflicts in the Middle East, as well as their family members. During the moments of reflection, a song played while voices of the families of those serving overseas spoke of their plight and their pride.