national security

In an effort to secure the digital supply chain for the United States, President Trump issued a policy on May 15 prohibiting the trade of information and communications technology or services designed, developed, manufactured or supplied by adversaries. 

The Executive Order on Securing the Information and Communications Technology and Services Supply Chain states that the risk of using such technology and services constitutes a national emergency.

The Air Force is in the process of developing a successor to the LGM-30G Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) known as the Ground-Based Strategic Deterrent (GBSD). The GBSD is the land-based component of the United States’ nuclear deterrence triad, which, along with ballistic missile submarines and the aircraft bomber fleet, serves as the backbone of our national security, according to the Defense Department.

The service also is working on a next-generation airborne missile control system that can launch both Minuteman III as well as GBSD missiles when the latter is ready for deployment in the late 2020s as expected.  

The billions of bits and bytes that make government services, information sharing and even shopping easier also open the doors for adversaries to gather intelligence that aids their nefarious pursuits. AFCEA International’s Cyber Committee has published a white paper that describes several ways big data analytics can help cybersecurity analysts close those doors or at least shrink the gap and reduce vulnerabilities.