Focus: Information Security

Information security is more than just a fact of life—it is a guarantor of life. Government, the military, the commercial sector and the public are so dependent on cyberspace that any interruption or degradation can be chaotic or even catastrophic. And, scarcely a day goes by without the public learning of either some new intrusion into key government systems or a discovered threat to personal information. SIGNAL Magazine’s July 2009 issue examines the challenges of achieving information security from the burgeoning menace to potential solutions—and their own ramifications.

• Top U.S. cyberspace experts warn of threats and suggest needed remedies.
• Estonia’s top information security expert describes how that Baltic nation rebounded after an international organized cyber attack.
• The Air Force Warfare Center is developing new training and tactics for cyberspace as a domain, including how to defend the network at the very edge.
• The Defense Department now has a strategy for achieving its new information assurance goals.

Focus: Guard and Reserves
The value of the virtual realm for training has been recognized for some time, but now artificial reality is being exploited for many other applications. Web 2.0 capabilities have opened new doors in cyberspace, and people and organizations are embracing the new world of virtual collaboration. The only limits to using this make-believe realm may be those of human imagination. SIGNAL’s May issue looks at ongoing efforts to explore collaboration in the virtual world:

• The Naval Postgraduate School’s Modeling, Virtual Environments and Simulation (MOVES) Institute blazes new trails in virtual collaboration.
• The U.S. Military Veterans Center offers services to veterans and their families in Second Life.
• The new sophisticated DARPA National Cyber Range will allow government to experiment with cybersecurity scenarios.
• The U.S. intelligence community wrestles with logistical issues as it tries to exploit virtual collaboration.

European Country Report: Germany
Waiting in the wings no longer is a way of life for the Guard and the Reserve force. Many units have been called to active duty during the Global War on Terrorism, and homeland security missions such as natural disaster relief continue unabated. Even when they are not deployed, both the Guard and the Reserves now are playing an active role in national security activities, particularly in information security. SIGNAL‘s focus look at the Guard and Reserves examines ongoing activities both by and for these increasingly active forces:

• The National Guard Bureau is spearheading the effort to create a parallel world designed for government personnel to conduct business.
• The U.S. Army is combining its Forces Command with the Army Reserve Command into a single, state-of-the-art combined headquarters.
• A new Tennessee National Guard effort that manages and protects its information technology networks helps provide security for the entire state.
• State National Guard units pair with the armed forces of foreign nations to develop military strengths and procedures.

The July 2009 issue of SIGNAL includes more articles covering traditional and new areas of interest:

• •The head of the NATO C3 Agency describes its new Technology for Information, Decision and Execution Superiority (TIDES) system, which is deploying in Afghanistan.

• Key performance indicators are the key to success in the new Defense Department information management and technology strategy.

• A cloud computing wargame taps casino activities to model human behavior.

• The U.S. economic stimulus package will have a unique effect on information technology.

  .

Coming in June 2009

AFCEA International 4400 Fair Lakes Court Fairfax, Virginia 22033
Editorial 703-631-6192 * Advertising 703-631-6181* Email * Customer Service 703-631-6100