News Briefs

Tactical Networking Milestone
A recent U.S. Army exercise demonstrated a seamless ad hoc mobile network. Conducted at the Army’s Expeditionary Warrior Experiments at Fort Benning, Georgia, the service established a tactical wireless network delivering simultaneous voice, data and video to soldiers, vehicles and unmanned platforms. As part of the exercise, the Raytheon Company deployed its Enhanced Position Location Reporting Systems, which provided soldiers with end-to-end connectivity to evaluate networked data and applications from unmanned aerial vehicles and other sensors.

Warfighter Network Passes Test
The U.S. Army’s Warfighter Information Network-Tactical has successfully passed a series of developmental tests and is poised for limited examination by users this month. The completed tests demonstrated an on-the-move networking capability on a network that consisted of more than 35 nodes. In a tactical environment, a network of this size would support an Army division and associated brigade, battalion and company elements.

Exoskeleton Unveiled
Modern soldiers carry an increasing amount of gear, so much that it can slow them down or lead to stress injuries over time. The Human Universal Load Carrier (HULC) solves this problem by literally taking the weight upon itself. Recently introduced at the U.S. Army’s Winter Symposium in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, the HULC’s exoskeleton consists of battery-powered titanium legs designed to support up to 200 pounds with minimal effort. An onboard computer ensures that the exoskeleton moves in concert with the user, and its design allows for soldiers to continue to perform deep squats, to crawl and to lift their upper body with minor exertion.

Name the Next Space Station Module
NASA is offering the public the opportunity to choose the name for the International Space Station’s next module. The Node 3 module is a control tower for robotics in space as well as an observation deck. Individuals can choose from NASA’s suggestions—Earthrise, Legacy, Serenity or Venture—or write in a name. Suggested monikers should reflect the spirit of exploration and cooperation the space station embodies. The deadline for voting is March 20, and the winner will be announced April 28. Voting and pictures of Node 3 are online.

Army Releases Electronic Warfare Manual
The U.S. Army has released its newest field manual—FM 3-36, Electronic Warfare in Operations. The manual is the first Army electronic warfare (EW) doctrinal publication in more than a decade and was developed and published as part of an overall Army effort to rebuild internal EW capability. It provides Army doctrine for EW planning, preparation, execution and assessment in support of full-spectrum operations. It also offers the doctrinal foundation to support current and future joint and multinational operations as well as further EW doctrine, operations, training, materiel, leadership, personnel and facilities development and integration.

Schoolhouse Construction Underway in Washington
The U.S. Navy is constructing a state-of-the-art schoolhouse at Naval Station Everett, Washington. Three Naval Education and Training Command training centers—the Center for Surface Combat Systems, Center for Service Support and Center for Information Dominance—will use the building to train sailors in Navy weapons systems, information technology and logistics. Additional technology and training capabilities could more than double current course offerings. The schoolhouse will support approximately 50 courses of instruction and host an estimated 2,000 students per year.

Law Enforcement Reads Between the Lines
A full searchable Digital Ink Library is now available for federal, state, local and international law enforcement agencies. Comprising an archive of nearly 10,000 digitized ink samples, the library enables authorities to investigate criminal and terrorist cases that involve fraudulent financial documents, checks, money orders, property and asset documents as well as threats to people in protective custody. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Secret Service collaborated to create the library, which enables law enforcement personnel to conduct ink sample matching in minutes rather than hours or days.

Education Discounts Offered to Service Members
The Digital Media Academy is supporting the troops and veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan by offering a 50 percent discount on their summer consolidated courses. The courses are taught in a number of locations, including at Stanford University, the University of Chicago, Harvard University, Brown University and the University of Texas–Austin. Residential and nonresidential programs are available. Among the classes being offered are Web page design, three-dimensional animation creation, robotics, audio and video production, and advanced instruction in Logic Pro. Proof of service status in the U.S. military is required to obtain the discount.

Japanese Cybercrime Soars
A study of cybercrime in Japan shows a 15.5 percent year-to-year annual growth rate. In addition, cybercrime tripled in that country between 2004 and 2008. Cases of cyberthreats increased by 90 percent, and illegal access to systems jumped 20 percent between 2007 and 2008. Yuval Ben-Itzhak, chief technology officer, Finjan Incorporated, the company that analyzed the Japanese cybercrime figures, says the current economic recession will result in an even faster increase in the number of Internet scams, hacks and malware-driven infections in 2009.