MIT 17-3 (April 2013)

The Voice of Military Communications and Computing

Materiel CIOEdward Siomacco CIO/G-6Army Materiel Command

MUOS Radios O Telecommunications Contracts O Cyber-ThreatsRugged Tablets O Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence O Tactical Radios

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C4April 2013

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Cover / Q&AFeatures

Edward SiomaccoCIO/G-6

Army Materiel Command

16

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iT NEEdS aNd BudgET rEaliTiESLieutenant General Susan Lawrence, who serves as chief information officer/G-6 for the Army, recently laid out her plans for modernizing Army networks within an austere budget environment.By Harrison Donnelly

Departments Industry Interview2 EdiTor’S PErSPEcTivE3 Program NoTES/PEoPlE14 daTa ByTES26 coTSacoPia27 rESourcE cENTEr

Edward SiiraVice President of International SalesCornet Technology

4 NETworx growS uPAlong the way toward achieving its vision of comprehensive contracts for telecommunications products and services for government agencies, the Networx program has been going through a bit of a midlife crisis. By Karen e. THuermer

8 EquiPPiNg a NEw coNSTEllaTioNNow that the Mobile User Objective System is operational, the military and its industry partners are working to bring devices to the field that can take advantage of its many capabilities.By PeTer BuxBaum

11 loNg livE ThE TouchScrEENSpurred by the form factor’s consumer popularity, ruggedized tablet computers are making inroads in the military market.By William murray

22 BuildiNg ThE cyBEr-rESiliENT ForcEA recently released Defense Science Board report, entitled “Resilient Military Systems and the Advanced Cyber Threat,” warns of cyber-threats and outlines improvements in DoD’s ability to respond to attacks.

April 2013Volume 17, Issue 3military information technology

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radio rEaligNmENTFor the first time beginning later this year, soldiers on the battlefield will be equipped with voice and data radios that are not dependent on fixed infrastructure or line-of-sight communications, representing a pivotal step forward for the Army’s tactical radio portfolio.By nancy Jones-BonBresT

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A recent announcement from an industry group dedicated to system interoperability has underscored the extent to which the concept of cloud computing is working its way into every aspect of military, intelligence and emergency operations.

The announcement concerned an award by the Network Centric Operations Industry Consortium (NCOIC) to an industry team led by NJVC to create a cloud infrastructure to support a concept proposed by the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA), which is interested in using cloud computing to deliver services to its nontraditional users such as those responding to a humanitarian crisis.

The project is designed to demonstrate the interoperability and movement of data in an open-cloud-based demonstration. NGA will provide unclassified data that supports a scenario depicting the 2010 earthquake in Haiti. NCOIC’s foundational model is based on a series of successful lab interoperability demonstrations, also based on Haiti, it conducted four times during 2010.

While one commercial cloud served as a data-transport vehicle during the 2010 lab demonstrations, the NGA work would put a number of clouds in the center of the action, thereby enabling the ever-expanding population of global cloud users, including emergency responders, to post their “eyewitness” views of what’s happening where they are.

The first stage of the project will focus on defining and building the cloud infrastructure, guided by an NCOIC process for developing a “voice of industry” consensus.

In the second stage, member companies will plug into the cloud and use the geospatial data to activate unique, sometimes proprietary, applications that demonstrate end-user capabilities. An example of potential end-user capability could be rescue workers, firefighters or hospital personnel—or even bankers trying to reconstitute a financial system.

“Governments have spent billions on satellites that can locate objects on Earth, and those systems give us very reliable data about the latest situations on the ground,” said Tip Slater, NCOIC director of business development. “But why shouldn’t we encourage the Web community to contribute their own views of the reality they see every hour of every day? Clouds offer the global reach for data storage, retrieval and survivability that could help NCOIC validate this work on behalf of NGA.”

Harrison DonnellyeDiTor

eDitor’S PerSPectiVe


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Air Force Brigadier General John M. Hicks, who has been serving as director, command, control, communications and cyber, J-6, Headquarters U.S. Pacific Command, has been assigned as commander, 23rd Air Force and director, operations, Air Force Special Operations Command, Hurlburt Field, Fla

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and IT services, has recently added four new executives to its leadership team: Gregory A. Garrett, vice president of managed network services; William E. Cleghorn, vice president of solutions integration and information assurance services; Steve Johnson, vice president, business development; Jackie Berger, vice president, communications and marketing.

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DARPA Seeks Better Way for Phased Arrays

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is seeking new, faster and more cost-effective ways to develop phased radio frequency (RF) arrays.

Phased arrays, which use numerous small antennas to steer RF beams without mechanical movement, are invaluable for key military applications such as radar, communications and electronic warfare. Their lack of moving parts reduces maintenance requirements, and their advanced electromagnetic capabilities, such as the ability to look in multiple directions at once, are extremely useful in the field.

These benefits come with a high price tag, however. Current phased arrays are extremely expensive and can take many years to engineer and build.

One of the main factors driving the dollar and time costs of current phased array programs is the need to start engineering from scratch, to customize the array to a specific defense application every time a new system is needed. Because the resulting arrays are so specialized, even upgrading them is often prohibitively expensive. The drawn-out process for designing and building custom arrays also means that actual gains in performance have slowed to the point that COTS electronics are catching up rapidly in their ability to counter phased arrays.

This emerging parity threatens to diminish the technological advan-tage the Department of Defense has traditionally enjoyed in military elec-tronics. A technical solution is needed to bring military array programs to more manageable cost levels and timescales.

As a result, DARPA created the Arrays at Commercial Timescales (ACT) program to seek new technologies to form a shared hardware basis for many future DoD phased array development programs. If ACT is successful, the resulting technologies may yield substantial savings and cut the required research and development time for new systems.

ACT will oversee technology research into three technical areas: 1) a common building block for RF arrays; 2) a reconfigurable electromag-netic interface; 3) over-the-air coherent array aggregation.

“What DARPA is looking for is essentially three tiers of technology that together form a configurable system that would serve as a starting point for any new array program,” said Bill Chappell, program manager. “Current DoD array development programs can take more than a decade and cost tens of billions of dollars. That’s because these programs start from zero, from a clean slate, every time and work toward an endpoint as specific as a radar system for a single class of warship. We want to give those efforts a common foundation.

“Success with technical areas one and two would lead to a significant reduction in program costs, namely the 30-40 percent nonrecurring engineering costs these programs average. We’ll also save time, allowing DoD to field the effective new systems and readily refresh systems already in the field. Because of the rapid evolution of electronics, cost and time translate directly to performance. So not only do we hope to make arrays significantly cheaper at a faster time scale, we believe that this will in turn allow for much greater performance,” Chappell said.

The third technological area of ACT aims to reduce the space require-ments for defense electronics by developing distributed phased arrays that can communicate with each other to function as a single larger array. For example, there is very limited space available in the tower of an aircraft carrier, so large systems for applica-tions like radar do not always fit. ACT could enable just a piece of a radar system to be hosted in one location, with other pieces hosted elsewhere in the carrier group, and with all the pieces communicating to act as a whole.

www.MIT-kmi.com MIT 17.3 | 3

Along the way toward achieving its vision of comprehensive contracts for telecommu-nications products and services for govern-ment agencies, the Networx program has been going through a bit of a midlife crisis.

Although contracts for the program, which covers both military and civilian agen-cies, have been awarded, its start has been painfully slow, observers say. While Networx began with noble intentions like bringing better, more advanced services to the government to increase efficiency, effectiveness, pro-ductivity and security, some analysts contend that it has not yet been successful in achieving those goals.

That’s because under Net-worx, agencies were to first transition to updated technol-ogy, and then to shift to using next-generation services that are better performing, more secure and more efficient.

“That second part was completely missed because there was no incentive to transform; only deadlines to transition,” commented Edward Morche, senior vice president and general man-ager of Level 3’s Govern-ment Markets Group. “Also, the slow and delayed transition lost $18 million in savings a month, and better pricing was missed because agencies generally opted more for Networx Universal, which had only three pro-viders competing for business, than Networx Enterprise, which had five providers.”

Part of the problem, analysts say, is that it has taken six years to finally turn off the bridge contract, Federal Technology Services 2001 (FTS2001). But given the slow pace at

which agencies were transitioning to Net-worx, FTS2001 had to be again extended again, this time to March 2013.

Even up to this date, contractors have been working frantically. Sprint’s Mike Ligas, sales director, federal, commented that he expected the transition “to come down to the wire.”

“Networx was billed as a means to leverage the buying power of the federal govern-ment,” he said, while adding that he is uncertain as to the end result.

“These are really infra-structure-type contracts,” Ligas said. “Changing the contract every time we do it causes a lot of rip-and-replace activities, which are expensive for the government. The gov-ernment can build an aircraft carrier faster than this.”

Diana Gowen, senior vice president and general man-ager for CenturyLink, called the situation “a sad state of affairs.”

“The government has not gotten the value it could just because it took so long to get off old systems and onto new,” she said.

The reasons the transition has taken so long, she said, include law changes, misun-derstandings of the new contract, and the fact that staffs were diminished. “The whole idea of transforming from old to something new and more effective went by the wayside. And now we’re five or so years being the power curve.”

A particular problem is the modifications that have been made to the contract. “Those modifications have been late in the game,”

she remarked. “Those agencies that were able to get their act together have benefited. But those that took a long time to figure out what they wanted did not get the savings or innova-tion that they could have.”

Susan Zeleniak, senior vice president for Verizon Public Sector Markets, agrees that the transition has gone slower than expected. “But once an agency engages to get that transition done, they do it very quickly,” she said. “We are pleased with the progress of the contract and with our success.”

Networx involves two complementary acquisitions—Networx Universal and Net-worx Enterprise. Networx Universal has three prime contractors: Verizon Federal, Centu-ryLink and AT&T. Networx Enterprise com-prised the same three Universal contractors plus Sprint, Nextel and Level 3 Communica-tions.

Through the Networx Universal contract, large providers offer a full range of service offerings with national and international geo-graphic coverage. Under the Networx Enter-prise contract, providers offer federal agencies a wide array of advanced IT and communica-tions services.

For example, for the Department of Defense, Verizon is providing traditional PDM services, toll-free voice, MTLS services, private internet, and management network services. “Large data networks, managed ser-vices and various voice services are our big-gest areas,” Zeleniak described.

While contractors are not permitted to divulge the details and for whom they have been contracted, the Defense Informa-tion Technology Contracting Organization (DITCO) within the Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has stated that it awarded Verizon two agreements worth as much as $1.12 billion in 2008.

In one agreement valued at as much as $752 million, Verizon Business was selected

After A bumpy trAnsition, telecommunicAtions contrAct progrAm offers comprehensive services for federAl Agencies.

by KAren e. thuermer, mit correspondent

Edward Morche

Diana Gowen

www.MIT-kmi.com4 | MIT 17.3

to provide DoD agencies with data services. They include network-based IP virtual private network services based on multi-protocol label switching; Internet protocol services; asynchronous transfer mode; and wireless and point-to-point private line for existing services. Here, critical IP VPN data traffic rides on the Verizon Business vBNS+ (Very High Performance Backbone Network Ser-vice) network, which is dedicated primarily to government and educational institutions with high-performance network require-ments.

In a separate agreement valued at as much as $368 million, Verizon Business was selected as the primary provider for voice services to help more than 700,000 users at military locations worldwide communicate and collaborate effectively. This included long-distance, toll-free, calling-card, ISDN (integrated services digital network) and video teleconferencing.

In December 2011, the National Guard Bureau selected Verizon to upgrade and modernize GuardNet, the guard’s primary communications network. Under the $28.8 million Networx Enterprise contract and through DISA, Verizon was charged with migrating GuardNet to Verizon’s secure pri-vate Internet Protocol communications net-work. Used in 54 states and territories across the nation and abroad, the new IP backbone is based on multiprotocol label switching and serves learning applications, community outreach initiatives, administrative purposes and facilitating the guard’s interaction with DoD.

“We have won other contracts through agencies outside of DITCO, which did not issue press releases,” Zeleniak added. “We also have had multiple smaller awards with agencies within DoD, both domestic and international.”

While Zeleniak admits that some agen-cies were slow to finish work on FTS 2001, she notes that there is new activity con-stantly going on. “Once an agency makes its transition to Networx, they can continue to order other services off of Networx,” she said. “We are continuing to see new activity to expand their capacity.”

Since Networx offers opportunities to save money, most agencies are reinvest-ing those savings to expand their capabili-ties, Zeleniak said. “For example, there is a greater need for increased bandwidth for video and high-capacity bandwidth, since video carries an enormous amount of data for information.”

dAtA decisions

Gowen observed that while DoD was an early leader in making decisions on Networx, much of the contracted work involved voice technologies, for which price points were already very low. “Agencies involved them-selves with a lot of widgets, but not a lot of value,” she commented. “It wasn’t until later in the game—in late 2010 and 2011, that they made decisions regarding data networks and who that data provider was going to be.”

Gowen pointed to one example in which, for two years, a future DoD purchase was framed as a rely buy for the Marine Corps. “They finally killed that and moved into new

technology,” she said. “This is a good example of what agencies did. If they were going to make a change, they were going to change into the future, not the status quo.”

In December 2011, DISA/DITCO awarded CenturyLink a multi-year task order valued at more than $250 million to provide private line services for dedicated high-speed con-nections between military installations. The contract involved the deployment of an opti-cal network infrastructure to deliver highly reliable and capable private line services to support defense customers.

“CenturyLink’s private line services have extensive geographic coverage that will ensure fast, direct and secure communications

©2013 Level 3 Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.

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between U.S. military bases, posts, camps and stations,” Gowen said.

Earlier that year, DISA/DITCO also awarded Qwest Communications, a company CenturyLink acquired in April 2011, a $100 million contract for a multi-year task order for advanced data services.

Over the past two years, CenturyLink has been involved in providing Internet services for Navy Reserve Command training centers. “What we did was build WiFi hotspots in the Navy Reserves Support centers so that the reservist could bring their own devices and immediately log on and do whatever training they needed to do,” Gowen said.

While the use of WiFi may not be novel, the Navy Reserve was the first organization within DoD to utilize it on the Networx con-tract and use this technology on base.

“We have done the mundane transition from the old to the new,” Gowen said. “In private line technologies, we are executing a strategy that takes certain bases and makes them a hub and aggregates traffic into the hub. We have finished three of those, and have seven more to go.”

CenturyLink is making progress, but the job is not complete, she said. “We are helping the customer get off of older contracts that either will soon expire or do not have the price points that the new contracts have. This is helping them save money where money needs to be saved.”

Ligas noted that while much of the FTS 001 and Networx contracts have been focused on wireline activities, the line between the two is getting increasingly blurry. For exam-ple, Sprint offers a unified communications, secure wireless capability called Sprint Data Link that provides a secure connection to a wireline infrastructure and a product called Sprint Session Initiation Protocol (SIP), or SIP Trunking, that maximizes network capac-ity, and minimizes the amount of trunks used compared to traditional trunking.

“The technology is migrating and chang-ing the ability of the end-user, from sitting at their desk to being in a mobile environment and having information at their fingertips no matter where they are,” Ligas explained.

mobile environment

Sprint has been working with DISA on the ability to be responsive to changing technology in a mobile environment. “That is going to create more efficiency in DoD,” said Ligas. “One nice thing about working with the DISA Mobility Group is they understand

that any time the government asks for some-thing that is different than a commercial capability, they are adding more cost. Yes, there are times when things have to be classi-fied and top secret, meaning you have to offer something different from what is available commercially, but for everyday voice com-munication and unclassified information, a commercial-type technology that is reliable is useful for the government.”

Level 3 Communications has found DoD to be one of the few agencies to actively use the Networx Enterprise contract for enter-prise data needs, including network-based IP virtual private network service and private line service.

“DoD agencies are also transforming the way they think about enterprise networks through the use of Ethernet technologies such as L2VPNS,” commented Morche. “However, DoD did not use Networx Enter-prise to compete their requirements for Internet Protocol service, which is an area where Level 3 is particularly strong. We believe that by using Networx Universal, DoD did not realize the benefits of better pricing and service that come with the increased competition on Networx Enterprise.”

Morche added, however, that many agen-cies, including DoD, are looking at IP-based unified communication and collaboration services (UCC).

“The promise of converged voice, video and data that has been discussed for many years is finally here,” he said. “The applica-tions and the underlying infrastructure have reached a stage of maturity that makes it feasible across a wide range of use cases. Fur-thermore, the cost of continuing to maintain legacy systems has become so exorbitant that agencies can often realize return on invest-ment within a year.”

Level 3 holds foundational patents in Voice over Internet Protocol and is by far the largest provider of SIP-based communication services globally. SIP-based service is at the heart of new UCC services and is at the core of the Level 3 network. “For this reason, we often find ourselves in discussion with agen-cies and partners about ways in which we can leverage this experience and scale to their benefit,” he added.

next networx

With technology advancing so rapidly, anticipation is soaring regarding Networx 2020, the next 10-year government-wide acquisition contract (GWAC).

Every five years, vendors start to ask about what future technology is going to be on the next GWAC, Morche noted. But the better question, he suggested, is to ask how vendors can enable agencies to get the newest technology while it’s still new.

“How do we make sure our government is as advanced as our citizens expect and more advanced than anyone who wants to do harm?” he asked, adding that the answer is simple: Operate more like a commercial enterprise.

“Get rid of the concept of a 10-year contract vehicle with limited providers and mandating that providers deliver outdated services,” he said. “Instead, bring in more providers, open the contract to be evergreen in nature, and allow agencies to simply open up an MSA with no clock associated with it so they can evaluate and procure services from those who do it best. That way, agencies can quickly take advantage of increasingly ben-eficial services like cloud and collaboration, as well as future services that we can’t even predict.”

Ligas concurs, adding that the future will see ways to transmit data faster and on wireless and wireline networks. “What this means is we are going to get into larger size gigabyte wireline types,” he said. “Those will be technologies that will continue to advance as data explodes. And DoD in particular is one happy data customer.”

In the future, he predicted, there will be a ubiquitous wireless technology that will be global. “The kind of capabilities that will be available in the United States for a soldier to train on will also be available in other parts of the world, so that they can actually use that in combat. To the military that is the ultimate goal: to train like you fight,” he commented.

Zeleniak concurred that now that every-one is getting onto Networx, it’s time to look at how to use the contract to provide new technologies.

“If you think about the world being more mobile, using cloud, and needing more secu-rity because mobile and cloud both require this, we are looking at how to bring more services to Networx that involve those tech-nologies,” she said. “We are working on how to ensure you go through the same security outlet whether you are mobile or not.” O

For more information, contact MIT Editor Harrison Donnelly at [email protected]

or search our online archives for related stories at www.mit-kmi.com.


CENTURY_LINK_Military-Info-Tech_April15_PauseButton_8.375 x 10.875_r2_OUTLINED.indd 1 4/2/13 3:30 PM

Now that the Mobile User Objective System (MUOS)—with its promise of simul-taneous voice, video and data services for mobile and remote users worldwide—is becoming operational, the military and its industry partners are working to bring devices to the field that can take advantage of its many capabilities.

The next-generation narrowband MIL-SATCOM program is envisioned to provide reliable, global coverage for military opera-tions as well as for national emergency assis-tance, disaster response and humanitarian relief.

MUOS is adapting a commercial 3G cellular phone network waveform that will provide 16 times more capacity than today’s communication system, the Ultra-high Fre-quency Follow-on (UFO) constellation.

Another key difference is that MUOS will enable users to be mobile while commu-nicating. UFO requires users to be station-ary and equipped with an antenna pointed toward a satellite. Designed in the 1990s, the system has surpassed its expected lifespan and been short on available capacity for the last few years.

The increase in throughput MUOS will provide comes thanks to the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) payload on MUOS satellites. The MUOS satellite will also continue to support legacy UHF

communications compatible with UFO systems and legacy terminals. The dual payload is designed to ensure a smooth transition to WCDMA while the UFO system is being phased out.

The first MUOS satellite was launched by prime contractor Lockheed Martin in February 2012, about two years behind its original schedule. U.S. Strategic Command accepted the satellite in November 2012 for operational use.

In January 2013, prime contractor Lock-heed Martin delivered the MUOS waveform, which was developed by General Dynamics, also after some delay. The new waveform will enable military satellite communications terminal providers to deploy equipment that takes advantage of MUOS capabilities.

The MUOS constellation will consist of four satellites plus an on-orbit spare. The second MUOS satellite is scheduled to be launched in July, and two more satellites are expected to be launched in the following two years. Developers see the MUOS constella-tion as achieving full operational capability in 2015, and providing narrowband capacity past 2025.

fielding rAdios

Now that the first MUOS satellite and associated ground systems provide

an initial on-orbit capability, the next step is to get radios in the field that can exploit the MUOS capabilities. To that end, they have contracted with vendors to modify existing radios to become MUOS-compliant. As the program moves forward, additional opportunities will arise to provide communications equipment to the armed services equipped with the MUOS waveform, and defense contractors are preparing accordingly.

“The MUOS constellation will perform many of the same functions as UFO,” said Bill Beamish, director of Falcon III man-pack products for Harris Corp. “But MUOS is based on different technology than UFO and will dramatically increase satellite communications capacity and provide net-work data at higher rates.”

“A single MUOS satellite will provide four times the capacity of the entire legacy constellation of eight satellites,” said Ste-ven Davis, a spokesperson for the Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command (SPAWAR).

SPAWAR runs the MUOS satellite and ground terminal programs and is in charge of procuring MUOS radio sets for the Navy. The procurement of MUOS waveform por-table radios and terminals is directed and funded independently through each of the armed services.

with mobile user objective system sAtellites now operAtionAl, the seArch is on for new rAdios to tAKe AdvAntAge of the system’s mAny cApAbilities.

by peter buxbAum, mit correspondent


“The MUOS system’s WCDMA cellular phone network architecture will provide a 16-fold increase in transmission through-put over the legacy system,” said Davis, “including global connectivity through the Defense Information Systems Network and support services such as full, two-way voice and data transfers. It will provide coverage on a 24/7 basis.”

“MUOS increases the capacity for the number of subscribers as well as the num-ber of messages that can run over the network,” said Rick Tomy, senior director for airborne communica-tions at Rockwell Collins. “The fact that it can provide emails, images and other data is another key aspect to MUOS.”

MUOS also includes four ground stations located in Hawaii, Virginia, Italy and Australia, which provide the ability to connect users worldwide. The ground sys-tem transports data, man-ages the worldwide network and controls the satellites. The MUOS ground stations in Hawaii and Australia are currently operational, and the site in Virginia is about to come online.

MUOS’ top require-ments, according to Davis, include capacity, coverage and link avail-abilities. “The ability for a warfighter to make a telephone call over a MUOS ter-minal and to send several times more data are significant improvements,” he said. “Whether for vehicles, ships, submarines, aircraft or individual servicemembers dis-mounted and on the move, this system was designed to provide voice and data communications services both point-to-point and through netted connections. Those capabilities did not exist with the previous programs.”

compAtible wAveforms

Lockheed Martin tailored a previously commercial waveform to be used with the WCDMA payload. The government has made the waveform available for military satellite communications terminal provid-ers through the Joint Tactical Networking Center (JTNC) Information Repository,

and contractors can now integrate the waveform into their MUOS-compatible terminals to provide WCDMA capabilities for users.

“The MUOS waveform has been delivered and is portable to two General Dynamics C4 Systems products, the Digi-tal Modular Radio and the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit radio,” said Davis. “The MUOS waveform allows the four-channel

DMR to communicate using the MUOS satellite commu-nications network.”

MUOS-capable equip-ment differs from what the U.S. military currently fields. “MUOS is a 3G cellu-lar system in the sky,” said Beamish. “It adds point-to-point data capabilities in the neighborhood of three to four hundred kilobits per second, which is an order of magnitude higher than what the military gets out of the current UFO con-stellation. The MUOS wave form is much more com-plex than its predecessors, and the waveform requires hardware designed specifi-cally to implement it.”

“The MUOS wave form has 1.5 million lines of code, plus whatever else is

running in the radio,” said Tomy. “That is much larger than what radios are running today, and why it is necessary to increase processing and memory in existing radios to accommodate MUOS.”

“The MUOS waveform is full-duplex, which means users can carry on a con-versation as you would on a cell phone, rather than most legacy radios, which are half-duplex, where only one person talks and everyone else listens,” said Scotty Miller, a vice president with Secure Com-munications and Computing Technologies for General Dynamics C4 Systems.

Unlike legacy UHF satellites systems where channel access is pre-coordinated and assigned, the MUOS system oper-ates like a cellular phone system in that the ground terminal must negotiate onto the system via a call processing protocol. “Service can be offered on an as-needed basis,” said Miller. “This negotiation capa-bility requires an amount of processing

capability not found on typical tactical radios. MUOS terminals are required to possess sophisticated capabilities to miti-gate interference with existing radio sys-tems.”

“The emulation of the 3G cellular net-work also contemplates the use of radios that are lighter and easier to handle than previous ground radios,” said David Pat-ton, senior program manager at Raytheon Network Centric Systems. “The intent is to reduce the size and weight of the satellite terminals so that the dismounted soldier would be able to carry MUOS handheld terminals and have communications.”

Currently, a dismounted warfighter needs to carry a directional antenna and aim it toward the satellite. The com-plete contraption, including the radio and antenna, is typically carried in a backpack. Using the radio usually means stopping, unloading the equipment and setting it up.

modify or build

There are two ways to accommodate MUOS in end-user equipment: by adapt-ing existing radios, usually by appending hardware that is loaded with the MUOS waveform and allows the radio to com-municate in full duplex mode, or building a new generation of radios that are native to MUOS. Military communications pro-viders are currently focused on adapting existing equipment to MUOS, but future generations of terminals are also already in the works.

In December 2012, the Army ordered kits to upgrade 100 Handheld, Manpack Small Form Fit (HMS) AN/PRC-155, two-channel manpack radios. The kits enable the radios to communicate with the MUOS satellite system.

“With the two-channel, MUOS-enabled HMS AN/PRC-155 manpack radios, the Army will greatly enhance soldier effective-ness by providing a 16-fold improvement in capacity for secure, over-the-horizon military communications,” said Miller.

General Dynamics also received a con-tract in early February to port the MUOS waveform onto the Digital Modular Radio (DMR) that is used aboard Navy ships, submarines and on-shore sites.

“We recently awarded a $40 million contract modification to General Dynam-ics C4 Systems that would allow for the MUOS waveform to be integrated into the

Dennis Moran

[email protected]

Scotty Miller


approximately 500 DMR terminals already in use by the fleet,” said Davis.

In addition to the new MUOS wave-form, the radios will also be compatible with UHF line-of-sight and UHF satellite communications and will be equipped with the Integrated Waveform, which increases the communications capacity and efficiency of legacy satellite commu-nications networks.

Raytheon has a contract with the Army to upgrade its ARC 231 radios to MUOS compatibility. “With our ARC 231 pro-gram, the Army program of record is doing a design upgrade to replace the internal electronics of the radio to provide the full duplex radio frequency communi-cations necessary for MUOS,” said Patton.

This is being accomplished through the development and installation of an applique that mounts to the side of the radio. The applique is a piece of hardware that is loaded with the MUOS waveform.

“The first contract for the start of the MUOS upgrade goes back to 2009,” said Patton. “The contract was issued in a series of phases because of the MUOS development cycle. Formal qualification testing took place during the fall of last year. Now that the final version of the waveform has been delivered, we are now porting that software to the radio.”

In order to upgrade the ARC 231 for MUOS compatibility, Raytheon imple-mented the JTRS Software Communi-cations Architecture, which allows the radio to accept the MUOS waveform from the JTNC Information Repository. It also implemented crypto modernization of the equipment and installed a MUOS radio frequency transceiver.

“The crypto modernization is a secu-rity feature and a process defined by the National Security Agency,” said Patton. “The transceiver replacement was neces-sary to handle MUOS’ full duplex com-munications, and with that conversion we will also be doing a form, fit and function replacement of the RF power amplifiers and the preamplifier for satellite commu-nications.”

Raytheon is currently building an engineering development model of the upgraded ARC 231 to take to qualification testing, which is expected to begin before the end of this year. Following qualifica-tion and testing activities this year, a platform integration model is expected to be ready during the third quarter of

2014, with production scheduled to come in 2015.

Raytheon is not yet under contact to deliver MUOS-compliant ARC radios in quantity. “The government’s plans haven’t firmed up yet,” said Patton.

Rockwell Collins’ involvement with MUOS began in 2008, when it received to contracts from the Navy to upgrade radio ancillaries, such as the high power ampli-fier and the low noise amplifier, to the new waveform. That work was completed in 2011. The company is now in the process of upgrading its ARC 210 airborne radio, which has been co-developed by the com-pany and the Navy since 2005, to accom-modate MUOS. There are around 35,000 ARC 210 radios installed around the world.

“Those radios are undergoing their final upgrades and should be available by the end of 2015,” said Tomy. The upgrades involve modification to four of the radio’s 22 circuit cards.

The upgraded ARC 210 radio will also accommodate legacy waveforms so that it is backwards compatible with older satel-lite communications systems. “We have also been able to maintain the form and fit of our current satellite communications boxes so that the upgrade can be dropped and replaced into the current boxes and the radio can bolt right into the current mounts on their platforms,” said Tomy. “Some people say transitioning to MUOS will be complicated. We intend to make it really simple for the end user.”

commerciAl model

Harris is taking a different approach to the opportunities that MUOS may afford, as is reflected in its business model. “We believe in a commercial business model,” said Dennis Moran, vice president of gov-ernment business development. “Where we see opportunities to provide hard-ware to meet warfighter requirements, we invest in those opportunities with our own research and development dollars. We get the products certified under the supervision of the different armed services and standards organizations, and we bring products to market.”

Harris isn’t pursuing design contracts, but offers the government fully developed products based on its understanding of military needs. “We have had discussions with the services of upgrading our PRC-117GS radios to MUOS compatibility and

they are interested,” said Moran. The U.S. military has fielded some 30,000 of those Harris radios.

“We are actively porting the MUOS waveform from the repository to the radio,” said Moran. “We plan on going through the certification process and bringing the capability to market quickly. There is great interest in this highly anticipated capa-bility by the services. Since the MUOS program is behind schedule, we believe there will be great demand for the ground terminals and they will be happy to have the upgraded PRC-117GS radios.”

Harris is not stopping with the PRC-117G, however. “The Army is going to have an open competition for full rate produc-tion of the HMS manpack and vehicle-mounted MUOS radios,” said Moran. “We will have a solution for that competi-tion that meets a variety of requirements including MUOS compatibility. We are very excited about offering these products to the Army in both of these full rate produc-tion competitions. We anticipate develop-ing other future MUOS products as well.”

Rockwell Collins also expects to develop future MUOS-compatible products. “Com-munications is headed toward two-chan-nel radios,” said Tomy. “MUOS will likely be one of the three IP-based waveforms embedded in future two-channel radios.”

Since MUOS is based on 3G cellu-lar technology, Tomy speculated that the military might consider adopting what the commercial world is already implement-ing: 4G cellular technology. That devel-opment would certainly involve a new iteration of the MUOS waveform and per-haps other enhancements as well.

“We have seen over time an insatiable demand for bandwidth down in the lower tactical echelons,” Moran said. “I think that MUOS, when fielded, will go a long way towards providing a beyond-line-of-sight capability to dismounted or mounted warfighters. But there always has to be a balance among all kinds of communica-tions capabilities, whether beyond line of sight or terrestrial networks. It is up to the communications planners to under-stand each tool and then to optimize their use.” O




The consumer popularity of the Apple iPad and similar thin cli-ent tablet computers running the Apple iOS, Google Android and Microsoft Windows operating systems is making its way into the Department of Defense, as manufac-turers combine a form factor familiar to a younger generation of warfighters with the ruggedized and high-security features needed to operate in a mili-tary environment.

Because military personnel, like most people, tend to be more comfortable with the same look and feel in their technology on the job that they use at home, there is a strong market trend away from the keyboard and clamshell design of traditional laptop and notebook units, to the touchscreen interface used by the iPad and similar devices.

“The touchscreen is ubiquitous,” said Robert Rohonczy, marketing manager for Land and Joint Solutions with General Dynamics Canada. “It was not accepted 10 years ago.”

According to VDC Research, worldwide product shipments for ruggedized tablets in the second quarter of 2012 were more than 30 percent above the comparable period in 2011.

Tim Collins, senior director of federal for Pana-sonic, a leading provider of ruggedized computers to the federal government through its Toughbook family of notebooks, described a recent visit to Fort Rucker, Ala., where the Army trains pilots and air-craft maintenance personnel. According to the senior technology official on the installation, he recalled, junior enlisted personnel have a strong preference for the multi-touch technology they have grown accustomed to while using their beloved smartphones and tablets. Older military personnel, by contrast, frequently prefer their clamshell ruggedized notebook PCs.

Ruggedized tablets are generally designed to MIL-STD-810G and to IP65 specifications to protect against environmental condi-tions and damage caused by bumps, drops, or exposure to heat, rain and wind in the harsh environments of Afghanistan and elsewhere. Resistance to sand is particularly important because if

the ultra-fine sand encountered during field operations infiltrates a tablet’s components, it can eventually cause the unit to overheat.

As important as the ability to withstand shock, vibration and dust is the ability to operate in bright sunshine, and this is one feature that many military users of ruggedized tablets are seeking, according Rohonczy, whose division sells to the U.S. military.

“There are environmental requirements, such as good optical engineering,” he explained. “Having a good contrast ratio on the screen is paramount, even more important than brightness,” he said.

Devices also have to show the ability to continue to work even when their batteries overheat. And battery life continues to be a key issue for electronic devices in the field.

For medium to heavy ruggedized tablets, the ability to operate in “extremes of temperature, from Afghanistan to Alaska,” is very important, Rohonczy said. Ruggedized tablets are generally sealed units, built without fans so that there’s no problem with moisture.

“We play very much on the product side,” he said of General Dynamics. “Our products are engineered from the ground up,” with operational demands in Abrams, Bradleys, MRAPs, HMMWVs and other platforms in mind.

“A large percentage of our efforts is providing hardware,” which can include network equipment,

radios, and tactical networks in a secure, trusted, embedded environ-ment, Rohonczy said. General Dynamics has worked with the “zero-ize” feature, which enables the user to permanently and completely destroy any sensitive data on a device that may fall into the wrong hands.

General Dynamics has experience working with dismountable, ruggedized equipment, as well as ultra-ruggedized equipment, which is both vehicle-mounted and dismountable. The company has worked to improve data security, portability and battery life for radios and handheld computers, and also offers ruggedized notebook PCs that rely on touchscreens, similar to the iPad, with the keyboard removed.

spurred by the form fActor’s consumer populArity, ruggedized tAblet computers Are mAKing inroAds

in the militAry mArKet.

by williAm murrAy

mit correspondent

Tim Collins

[email protected]

Robert Rohonczy

[email protected]


desKtop replAcement

Ruggedized tablet computers are even replacing desktops in some military organizations, noted Wayne Randolph, U.S. public sector manager with MobileDemand.

“The military has a need to be more mobile,” Randolph said of the cost-saving measure to replace desktops with rugged tablets during a desktop refresh. “The tablets can function well in a garrison environ-ment using a docking station in the office, and can then be undocked for mobile field applications, eliminating the cost for multiple devices,” Randolph continued.

In the field, MobileDemand ruggedized tablets have been used on HMMWVs and Huskies in Iraq, as well as on military mine sweepers. U.S. military person-nel have used facial recognition software running on the MobileDemand ruggedized tablets for nocturnal operations, with resulting images from checkpoints transmitted to nearby vehicles. Full integration with cameras, video and scanners make the MobileDemand ruggedized tablet computers valuable for use outside the office, according to Randolph.

MobileDemand’s 7-inch screen unit weighs 2.5 pounds, while the 10-inch screen ruggedized tablet weighs 5 pounds. Like many other ruggedized tablet computers, the company’s units meet the IP65 ruggedization stan-dards.

Popular uses of the tablet computers include asset tracking and deployment, as well as logistics. For the U.S. Border Patrol the MobileDemand units can be configured with passport readers. Some military personnel use the MobileDemand units in conjunction with Common Access Card readers.

By 2016, tablets will be used by 760 million workers worldwide, and 55 percent of those tablets will be sold in the public sector, accord-ing to MobileDemand’s projections. MobileDemand tablets run Micro-soft Windows 7 or Windows 8, depending on the tablet. “We’re not seeing much demand for Android, and we haven’t received requests yet for Windows 8,” Randolph said.

Randolph cited the example of U.S. military personnel involved in humanitarian relief in Haiti, who helped ensure the safety of millions of dollars’ worth of Red Cross care packages with the aid of MobileDe-mand T-7000 units, after widespread theft of care packages following

the January 2010 Haitian earthquake. “They can scan the goods to determine what is in the container,” Randolph said.

General Dynamics is seeing a demand for Linux, Windows 7 and Windows 7 Embedded, in addition to older Windows operating sys-tems. As an “A to Z defense provider,” Rohonczy said, the company is as comfortable providing secure network infrastructure or systems solutions, as it is developing battle management tools as applications that can run on a thin client, such as a tablet.

Maintenance, mapping, explosive ordnance disposal, RFID and training are popular applications for military personnel who deploy

ruggedized tablets, according to Panasonic’s Collins. He noted that these applications are common across law enforcement and military organizations.

“A dismounted soldier and a Border Patrol agent face similar challenges,” he said, and the need for func-tions like flight line maintenance spans all the military services.

resistive technology

Many military users wear gloves as they go about their jobs, so it’s important that tablets have resistive technology on touchscreens, according to Collins. Military users also are looking for anti-shock and

anti-vibration capabilities, in addition to the ability to function after surviving a drop.

Panasonic is selling both ruggedized tablets and convertible tablet PCs. The 10-inch Panasonic Toughpad FZ-A1 Ruggedized Android Tablet, for example, weighs 2.1 pounds and runs on a Marvell 1.2GHz dual core processor. The Toughpad FZ-A1 is designed to MIL-STD-810G and to IP65 specifications to protect against environmental conditions and damage caused by bumps, drops, or exposure to heat, rain and wind. The starting price for the FZ-A1 is $1,299.

The Panasonic Toughbook CF-19, meanwhile, is a fully rugge-dized, convertible tablet PC that features a 10.1-inch LCD-capable screen, and is powered by a second-generation Intel Core i5 vPro pro-cessor. Integrated options include a 2-megapixel camera, backlit key-board (emissive or rubber), GPS receiver, Gobi 2000 mobile broadband and a dual-touch LCD with touchscreen and digitizer. In addition, the Toughbook CF-19 has an IP65-certified design with a full magnesium alloy case, and it’s built to withstand a 6-foot drop.

Wayne Randolph

[email protected]

Left: The Panasonic Toughbook CF-19 is a fully ruggedized, convertible tablet PC. [Photo courtesy of Panasonic]

Right: General Dynamics Canada offers the SD 8010 ruggedized tablet. [Photo courtesy of General Dynamics Canada]


The spill-resistant Toughbook C2 convertible tablet, which runs Microsoft Windows 7 and 8, has a 12.5-inch screen, a rugged triple hinge design, bridge battery and an integrated hand strap. The C2’s 500 nit IPS display has nearly 180 viewing angles and its semi-rugged design offers protection against up to 30-foot drops. Panasonic is see-ing a stronger appetite for Windows 7 and 8 operating systems than for Google Android or Apple iOS.

Panasonic also sells the Toughpad JT-B1, a ruggedized 7-inch Android tablet priced at $1,199. The Toughpad FZ-G1, meanwhile, is a 10-inch Windows-based computer selling for $2,899. Both products come with a three-year warranty.

GammaTech Computer Corp. is another vendor that offers cost-competitive tablets that are also ruggedized and perform very well in the field. “We don’t sacrifice performance,” said Paul H. Kim, vice president of sales and marketing for the ruggedized notebook manufacturer. Key applications demanded by military users for ruggedized tablets include barcode scanners, Global Positioning System, magnet strip readers, radio frequency identification and web cameras, he noted.

Military buyers favor docking stations for vehicle/office use and battery chargers to extend field operations, according to Kim. Gamma-Tech’s products sell for $1,299-$2,599 through a General Services Administration schedule, and the company accommodates its touch-screens to users wearing gloves.

Users can also remove GammaTech’s wireless or Bluetooth capabili-ties when necessary. “If you don’t need it, we don’t include it or disable it,” Kim said. Many users favor 3G and 4G wireless network capabilities, and hot swappable batteries and solid state hard drives are also popular.

GammaTech sells four basic stock keeping units, but it custom builds for orders and can assemble and ship orders within five days. Users typically purchase three- to five-year warranties, according to Kim.

The GammaTech Durabook CA10 runs the Intel Atom processor N2600 and Genuine Windows 7 oper-ating system. It also features a 10.1-inch WXGA TFT display (1280 by 800) and 1.3MP webcam, Intel Centrino Wireless N 135 (wireless LAN b/g/n+Bluetooth3.0), and hot swappable dual batteries.

Another competitor in the market is Xplore Tech-nologies, which recently received an order from an unspecified command for 200 of its iX104C5 DMSR-M rugged tablets, following an even larger military order in late 2012.

“We have designed our products to be the most rugged available,” said Jim Plas, Xplore director of marketing. “While those in the field all have to meet MIL-STD-810G specifications, there is also the IP rating for ingress protection against water and dust. Ours is IP 6/7, which means you can drop it in water for 30 minutes. We’ve also designed our units so they exceed the military standard drop specifications, which call for 4 feet to concrete and 6 feet for plywood over concrete. Ours will sur-vive a 5- to 6-foot fall to concrete, and 7 feet to plywood over concrete.”

Other advantages of Xplore products include sunlight-readable screens that retain their color vibrancy, designs that allow for repair of devices in the field, and protections against radio emissions and interference.

budget uncertAinty

Like many in the defense industry, tablet makers point to uncer-tainties in the defense budget, which have made it difficult for military

technology leaders and procurement officials to plan and execute large-scale five-year programs to accomplish bigger goals.

“Procurements are being delayed,” Collins said, on the eve of a congressional sequestration deadline, as some civilian military employees and contractors feared layoffs and furloughs. “As a result, many organizations are just engaged in maintenance and upkeep,” rather than making enterprise purchases and shipping units to the field to help them carry out their missions, he said.

With the ongoing military pullback in Afghani-stan, however, Collins sees a continuing need for ruggedized, lightweight tablets to help keep track of equipment through its transport from Afghanistan to the United States. “Material tracking, bar code and RFID should be very important during the drawdown in Afghanistan,” he said.

Industry analysts expect that the next generation of tablet computing for the military will come from the pending competition for the Army’s mounted Family of Computing Systems (m-FoCS).

The m-FoCS program will be the first increment of hardware to be fielded by the Project Manager Joint Battle Command-Platform in support of the

Army’s Mounted Common Operating Environment, and will work as a part of already fielded legacy systems.

“Although there are various elements of the m-FoCS program, many people unofficially refer to it as the ‘tablet program,’ because it is meant to deliver thousands of rugged dismountable tablet computers to the Army and Marine Corps,” said Bill Guyan, vice president for strategy for DRS Technologies, which has already delivered more than 30,000 rugged MRT Tablets to the Army. “This is a very important competitive program for our company and for our competitors, because it will deliver the next generation of tablet computers to the joint forces.”

The final award announcement for m-FoCS is expected soon. O

Warfighters are eagerly adopting ruggedized tablets from Panasonic for use in field operations. [Photos courtesy of Panasonic]

For more information, contact MIT Editor Harrison Donnelly at [email protected] or search our online archives

for related stories at www.mit-kmi.com.

Paul Kim

[email protected]


Whitelisting Solution Protects Android-Based Devices

McAfee has announced delivery of the industry’s first ever whitelisting security solution for Android based embedded systems. McAfee Application Control for Android is the only security solution that resides in the Android kernel, embedded in the operating system. McAfee provides protection from the installation or execution of a malicious application on an Android-based device. McAfee also provides protection at the application layer to Android devices. The McAfee Embedded Control solution provides tamperproof protection, superior operational

control of devices in the field and ease of management with Android devices. Previously, embedded engineers had only a single operating system option, Security-Enhanced Linux, if they wanted to have enforceable security capabilities for their embedded system. Prior to McAfee Embedded Control, Android security applications only operated at the user level, leaving devices vulnerable to system-level attacks. McAfee removes this security gap with a kernel residing security solution to improve security for the entire Android stack.

Hope Jones; [email protected]

Increase Expands International

Communications Assistance

Harris has received a $500 million increase in the ceiling value of its 2011 indefi-nite delivery, indefinite quantity contract with Army Communications Electronics Command. The increased ceiling provides the U.S. government with greater flexibility in acquiring Harris radios, accessories, systems and services to assist international partners with their mission-critical communication needs. Under the contract, Harris provides military and land mobile radio systems to international partners of the Department of State and Department of Defense. The contract is part of the U.S. government’s foreign mili-tary sales program, which supports coalition building and interoperability through sales of defense equipment, training and services. The contract enables these organizations to acquire from the entire Harris Falcon radio portfolio, including advanced wideband solutions—such as the RF-7800H High-Frequency, RF-7800M Multiband Networking and RF-7800S Secure Personal radios—as well as Harris Unity and other land mobile radios for public safety and first responder communications.

Agreement Offers Robust Cybersecurity

SolutionsAccessData Group, a provider of digital

forensics, cybersecurity and e-discovery soft-ware, has announced a partnership agreement with GovPlace, a provider of enterprise IT solu-tions exclusively to the public sector. Under the agreement, GovPlace will resell and imple-ment AccessData solutions including its Cyber Intelligence & Response Technology platform to federal, state and local customers. Rapid growth in government cloud computing and big data initiatives requiring massive data uploads and capacity are driving up cybersecurity require-ments for many public sector organizations. AccessData solutions will empower GovPlace and its customers with the most robust cybersecurity solutions for managing and securing big data.

SATCOM System Delivers Broadband for Helicopters

ViaSat has demonstrated a high-performance Ka-band satellite communication system that delivers beyond line-of-sight broadband for rotary wing aircraft. This advanced system provided sustained data rates of 4 Mbps from the helicopter to a ground station and 8 Mbps to the helicopter despite very high shock and vibration and the inherent repetitive signal blockage from rotating blades. While previous “through the blade” demonstrations have proved the underlying patented and patent-pending technology, the recent flight test at Patuxent River, Md., used a Sikorsky H-3 helicopter. Flight conditions encompassed rigorous maneuvers, including severe banking and opera-tion through several rotor orientations while running data-intensive applications. During multiple tests, operators were able to simultaneously run five VoIP calls, three VTCs from air to ground, and streaming videos from the Internet to the aircraft. All applications ran without packet loss or video dropout.

Device Links iPhones to Satellite Communications

The Thuraya SatSleeve is a versatile new device that brings satellite connectivity to the Apple iPhone. Thuraya SatSleeve is the world’s first product to offer easy and affordable access to mobile satellite communications, delivered over Thuraya’s extensive satellite network. Only slightly larger than the iPhone itself, the compact adaptor provides users with the ability to turn their iPhone into a satellite phone that allows them to have reliable connectivity beyond the coverage of traditional terres-trial networks. While iPhones are typically supported by terrestrial networks, Thuraya SatSleeve enables users to enjoy ubiquitous coverage even in the most remote environments.


Data ByteS

Army Orders Nett Warrior Radios

Thales Communications has announced a new low rate initial production contract for secure radios to support the Army’s Nett Warrior Program. This Nett Warrior Radio is capable of providing soldiers with access to the govern-ment’s classified networks at the Secret or Sensitive But Unclassified level. The radio is a lightweight, body worn unit that transmits voice and data simultaneously utilizing the Soldier Radio Waveform. It allows self-forming, ad hoc, voice and data networks and enables any leader at the tactical level to track individual soldier position location information. The radio was jointly developed by Thales and General Dynamics C4 Systems (GDC4S) under the handheld, manpack, and small form fit program, primed by GDC4S. The award is for 2,052 Nett Warrior radios and associ-ated ancillaries. Half of the radios will be produced by GDC4S, and half will be produced by Thales.

IT Support Ordered for DoD Dependents Schools in Europe

General Dynamics Information Technology has been awarded a task order to provide IT support services to the Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Europe (DoDDS-E), which provides instruction to more than 30,000 students. The task order was awarded under the Information Technology Enterprise Solutions-2 Services (ITES-2S) contract and has a potential value of $18 million over three years if all options are exercised. Under the contract, General Dynamics will deliver IT support services

to all DoDDS-E locations to meet the technology challenges of ever-changing educational needs of the dependents of military and civilian employees. The company will provide customer tech-nology support, hardware and software support, desktop and laptop manage-ment, server and network support, and handheld device support. The ITES-2S contract is a multiple-award, indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract awarded to General Dynamics in April 2006.

Air Force C2 Center Modernization Advances

The Air Force and Northrop Grumman have successfully completed the preliminary

design review for the Air Operations Center Weapon System (AOC WS) program. The

successful review allows the AOC WS program to enter the detailed design phase. The program modernizes the Air Force’s essential opera-tional-level command and control (C2) centers to increase operational effectiveness and reduce costs. The in-depth review, conducted at Northrop Grumman’s

AOC WS warfighter test and integration labo-ratory in Newport News, Va., served as a forum for the Air Force, Northrop Grumman and its teammates to review and approve the prelimi-nary design. Additionally, Northrop Grumman delivered a prototype system built upon a service-oriented open architecture to highlight the future AOC environment and demonstrate the concept of rapid and affordable develop-ment and integration. In conjunction with the Air Force Life Cycle Management Center, Hanscom AFB, Mass., Northrop Grumman will modernize the AOC by developing a secure, streamlined computing environment for legacy and stove-piped systems.

Industry Team to Modernize Joint Global C2 System

The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) has selected a team led by Northrop Grumman to modernize and sustain the Department of Defense joint command and control (C2) system used to provide accurate, complete and timely information for the armed forces operational chain of command. Under the Encore II contracting vehicle from DISA, Northrop Grumman was awarded $58 million for the base year of a task order for Global Command

and Control System-Joint engineering support services. The contract has a potential value of $211 million over 54 months, if all options are exercised. The Northrop Grumman-led team includes Raytheon Trusted Computer Solutions, Mandex, Trinity Information Technology, J5 Systems, SAP Government Support and Services, Engility, General Dynamics Advanced Information Systems, Alisco Computer Consulting, Distributed Technologies, and TrustedQA.


compiled by Kmi media Group staff

As chief information officer/G-6 for Army Materiel Com-mand, Edward Siomacco serves as the command’s principal, senior-level advisor on the strategic direction, objectives and supervision of all issues in command, control, communications, computers and information management (C4IM).

Siomacco is the single commandwide-responsible official whose primary duties involve the improved design, moderniza-tion, acquisition, use, sharing, performance and termination of information resources. He provides technical direction to the senior leaders of the AMC information technology community and oversight of the delivery of all C4IM services and enterprise applications. In this capacity, he directs the information com-ponent of national power for AMC’s strategic advantage.

Prior to this position, Siomacco served as director, Enter-prise Systems Technology Activity (deputy to the commander for enterprise services), Army Network Enterprise Technology Command/9th Signal Command (Army) with responsibility to operate, manage and defend the Army LandWarNet. He also served as the principal adviser to the Army CIO/G-6 in providing information assurance policy and plans.

Earlier, Siomacco served from 1975 to 1983 as an Army sig-nal officer assigned to numerous tactical formations including the 50th Signal Battalion, Fort Bragg, N.C., and 7th Signal Bri-gade, West Germany. Subsequent assignments included serving as a professor of electrical engineering at the U.S. Military Academy and project manager for the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical.

Siomacco has a bachelor of science degree in electrical engineering from North Carolina State University, and M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in the same subject from the Naval Postgraduate School.

Siomacco was interviewed by MIT Editor Harrison Donnelly.

Q: How would you define your mission as chief information officer/G-6 of the U.S. Army Materiel Command [AMC]?

A: Our AMC mission to develop, deliver and sustain materiel for the joint warfighter depends heavily on assured and reliable com-munications and information technology systems. We focus on supporting a globally networked logistics command that provides America’s warfighters with the decisive edge. This networked mission requires CIO teamwork among our 11 AMC major subor-dinate commands. My teammates work together to sustain criti-cal mission applications and provide the synergy necessary for building unified collaboration across AMC. From our Research, Development and Engineering Centers to our depots, arsenals and ammunition plants, from our Expeditionary Contracting Command to our Army Field Support Brigades supporting com-bat formations on the battlefield, AMC delivers and sustains the integrated solutions that support both the Army’s institutional and operational forces.

Because AMC operations rely on automated business pro-cesses, our primary job is to optimize the performance of the net-work and applications enabling the entire AMC enterprise. This task can only be accomplished through the day-to-day collabora-tion among our subordinate CIOs and with the Defense Infor-mation Systems Agency [DISA] and the Army Cyber Command/Network Enterprise Command [NETCOM]. We leverage DISA and NETCOM services such as the Defense Enterprise E-mail, Defense Connect Online, and the Defense Enterprise Computing Centers.

Edward SiomaccoChief Information Officer/G-6U.S. Army Materiel Command


Materiel CIOOptimizing Network Performance for the Enterprise

Q&AQ&A

Q: What are your key initiatives under way for improving AMC’s IT systems and functions?

A: Our highest priority initiative is the deployment of an AMC Mate-riel Common Operating Picture [COP] in order to track the complex Operation Enduring Freedom [OEF] retrograde operations from Afghani-stan. We are leveraging COTS visualization software to display information on different classes of supply including both standard and non-standard equipment. The AMC Materiel COP pulls actionable logis-tics data from the Logistics Infor-mation Warehouse [LIW], which serves as the culminating point for effective data mining from approxi-mately 90 independent authoritative data sources. This initiative helps our deputy chief of staff, G-3/4/5/7, to measure the velocity of materiel leaving OEF; provides an accurate inventory; and tracks reset and dis-tribution through the organic industrial base to the units.

Another key initiative is an enterprise approach to monitor-ing the day-to-day performance and cybersecurity posture of our AMC critical mission information systems, enterprise services and data warehouses. We have established the AMC Global Information Technology Operations Center [GITOC] to support real-time monitoring of critical AMC mission applications and to orchestrate the rapid restoral and manage the disaster recovery operations of these systems, as needed. The GITOC uses a suite of automated tools to monitor performance alerts from selec-tive enterprise data centers hosting our mission applications. For example, DISA broadcasts alerts immediately to our GITOC whenever critical application servers go off-line. Having real-time monitoring capabilities allows us to validate service-level agreements with DISA, and improves customer relations man-agement operations. We often know when problems occur before our customers.

The GITOC directly supports the AMC Operations Center by ensuring logistics information is timely and reliable. The GITOC manages the unified collaboration services across the entire AMC enterprise using both unclassified and classified video teleconfer-ences. We are working a VTC pilot with DISA and NETCOM to improve IP-based collaboration services across the Army. This initiative has the potential to bring the Army into the state-of-the-art for video technology.

Finally, we’re teaming with 7th Signal Command [NETCOM] to conduct a proof of concept for delivering regional C4IM ser-vices to our AMC organic industrial base special installations. Currently, we operate eight depots/arsenals and 49 ammunition plants across the continental United States. Our recent migra-tion to the Defense Enterprise E-mail demonstrates one of the most important C4IM service. This proof of concept will deter-mine if other C4IM services can be effectively and efficiently

delivered from regional Network Enterprise Centers [NECs] to our depots, arsenals and ammunition plants.

Q: What changes have you seen as the result of your reorganiza-tion about two years ago?

A: As part of our Base Realignment and Closure move to Red-stone Arsenal, Ala., in 2011, the AMC Headquarters was realigned by merging the Enterprise Integration Directorate with the CIO/G-6. The merger provided the opportunity to converge logistics business process experts and information technology specialists to deliver more effective mission applications. We’re a stronger team, more knowledgeable of the AMC business processes and functions such that automated systems can be optimized. We can better understand which of the legacy business processes should migrate to the Army’s enterprise resourcing planning [ERP] systems.

Q: What role does your office play in developing overall Army policy for IT acquisition?

A: We are playing a supporting role as the Department of the Army CIO/G-6 executes the Army Information Technology Man-agement Reform Implementation Plan. The plan’s management reforms are critical to our achieving the LandWarNet 2020 vision of a single, secure, standards-based network that aligns with the Department of Defense Joint Information Environment. We conduct portfolio management reviews across the AMC mission areas supporting decisions that will rationalize, consolidate, standardize and possibly terminate duplicative IT investments, resulting in optimized enterprise solutions. We serve as the AMC enterprise integrator synchronizing multiple functional leads, such as contracting, logistics or financial, for supporting the

Army Field Support Battalion Kandahar, 401st Army Field Support Brigade’s Redistribution Property Assistance Team yard at Kandahar Airfield, Afghanistan, retrogrades its first Stryker combat vehicles for return to the U.S. [Photo courtesy of AMC]


new Business Capability Life Cycle [BCL]. The BCL allows rapid acquisition and deployment of business IT capabilities by tailor-ing the traditional acquisition process to meet requirements. The BCL improves the capability definition and streamlines acquisition for our most critical ERP, the Logistics Moderniza-tion Program [LMP].

Q: How would you characterize the overall changes going on in the Army’s approach to developing and buying IT systems?

A: Several changes are being introduced by the Army’s IT man-agement reforms. Specifically, these reforms will establish the conditions to achieve the Secretary of the Army’s objective to modernize the network and realize efficiencies in annual sav-ings beginning in fiscal year 2015. Changes in IT governance, IT architecture, and the agile IT acquisition process combine to enable the transition towards LandWarNet 2020. The IT gov-ernance establishes the governance process that integrates the priorities from each of the mission areas—for example, the war fighting, business and enterprise information environments. The IT architecture will enforce compliance with design rules to sat-isfy the vision of a single, secure, standards-based network, and the agile IT acquisition implements acquisition processes that accelerate procurement of IT products and services.

We’re supporting the emerging Army Request for Informa-tion Technology process to increase our AMC visibility and accountability of IT procurements of software, hardware and services. This process enables us to accurately follow IT invest-ment requests and to reduce duplicative IT capabilities across AMC. One of the benefits of having increased IT asset visibility is to achieve consolidated procurements for greater buying power, and to establish software enterprise licensing agreements.

Q: Is your office involved with such Army IT acquisition initia-tives as agile software development and the series of Network Integration Evaluations [NIEs]?

A: Our office provides technical and software management staff support to the AMC commander in coordination with our Research, Development and Engineering Command [RDECOM] and the AMC chief technology officer. RDECOM has software development laboratories directly supporting the Army program executive offices and project managers. For example, the Aviation and Missile Research and Development Center’s Software Engi-neering Directorate, located at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., is now developing, integrating and testing the Joint Battle Command-Platform [JBC-P] capability for PM JBC-P. The JBC-P software and hardware will provide the next generation of mission com-mand and situational awareness capabilities for the brigade combat teams. In addition, our Communications-Electronics Research, Development and Engineering Center [CERDEC] is in direct support to the NIE providing evaluations of COTS and GOTS communication technologies. CERDEC supports the NIE risk reduction activities using their C4ISR System Integration Lab and provides technical support throughout all phases of the new agile process.

AMC also plays a significant supporting role in the NIE process. Clearly our research and development community supports those programs of record participating in the NIE,

but the Communications-Electronics Life Cycle Management Command’s Central Technical Support Facility also supports the configuration management of the fielded software baselines, and conducts intra-Army interoperability testing, as required. Finally, the Army Field Support Brigade and Directorate of Logistics supporting Fort Bliss, Texas, and White Sands Missile Range, N.M., provide necessary logistics support to the assigned NIE brigade combat team.

We’re also working with the Assistant Secretary of the Army, Acquisition, Logistics and Technology System of System Engi-neering and Integration Office as they lead the implementation of the Army’s common operating environment [COE] architec-ture. The intent of the COE architecture is to normalize the vari-ous computing environments, such as the vehicular mounted, mobile/handheld, command post, and enterprise data center environments, and achieve a balance between unconstrained innovation and standardization.

In the commercial sector, computing environments have become commodities and applications developed and delivered on commoditized and inexpensive systems, such as Apple and Android handheld devices. With the COE, the Army can establish an agile framework similar to industry best practices. Commu-nities of interest will be able to develop software applications quickly and cheaply; improve cybersecurity posture; reduce the complexities of configuration management and sustainment; and streamline and facilitate training. For the Army, this is a whole-sale shift from the traditional software development and sustain-ment paradigm with dedicated and tightly coupled software and hardware. Instead, applications will be designed, developed and deployed using a common computing environment, allowing the software developer to download and reuse shared services and common software modules. When properly executed, the COE Implementation Plan will enable the Army to develop, test, cer-tify and deploy software capabilities more rapidly.

Q: What is your role in implementing Army ERP systems, and how would you assess overall progress in that area?

A: We depend greatly on the Army’s ERP systems for automating and transforming business processes across the AMC enterprise. The LMP is our wholesale, Class VII and Class IX inventory track-ing ERP used in our depots, arsenals and ammunition plants. LMP has been a huge investment for AMC, and the returns on investment are just bearing fruit as we standardize business met-rics and reports. It’s making our depots much more productive and cost efficient. As CIO, I am excited about mapping business processes from disparate legacy systems into LMP in order to standardize business processes and ultimately terminate legacy systems.

The Global Combat Support System [GCSS-Army or G-Army] is the retail ERP system currently being fielded to our tactical formations. The G-Army program will initially deploy a retail supply capability, and the maintenance support activities will follow as an incremental software release. It will be fielded into unit motor pools, as well as forward deployed to improve asset visibility up and down the supply chain. The network reach-back over tactical satellite systems will be critical for the forward deployed G-Army users. Hence, we must ensure that the Army’s network can deliver the sufficient bandwidth and quality of


service necessary to support all the ERP systems both in garrison and at the forward tactical edge of the LandWarNet.

Q: How are you working with Cyber Command, DISA and other DoD organizations to improve information security?

A: Recently, both AMC and Army Cyber Command have strength-ened our joint collaboration by improving our cyber-situational awareness. We have integrated the Headquarters AMC Deputy Chief of Staff [G-2 [Intelligence] and G-6 [Computer Network Defense and Information Assurance] under the leadership of our G-3/4/5/7 [Operations]. This 2/3/6 Integration among staff principles has effectively aligned with the corresponding Army Cyber Command staff. We’re working closely to develop and share a cyber COP to ensure that our AMC critical mission appli-cations and data warehouses are more secure from potential cyber-threats.

DISA continues to service us, with the Defense Enterprise Computing Centers hosting our AMC enterprise mission appli-cations. They are now the provider of the Defense Enterprise E-mail Service. As the AMC Designated Accrediting Authority, I am very confident in the DISA Defense Computing Centers’ [DECCs] security posture and their continuous monitoring capa-bilities. As mentioned earlier, DISA DECCs provides our GITOC with automated alerts whenever our hosted servers are having problems.

Q: What are some of the primary lessons from your lengthy past service in military communications and information sys-tems?

A: The most important lesson I have learned is we must strengthen the teamwork and collaboration among our Army’s network service providers such as DISA and NETCOM. Our AMC mission relies on these enduring partnerships. Together, we can only deliver highly reliable and secure networks, data centers and enterprise services with teamwork.

Another lesson is we must understand the ever-changing information technology. Keeping pace with industry innova-tions has been difficult. During the past decade of war, the Army has focused on ensuring that our deployed soldiers and war fighting units were equipped with the best communica-tions equipment and information systems. Now we must plan to modernize our U.S.-based network infrastructure. We must modernize the network to improve our existing virtual, live and constructive training environments, improve our laboratories, and ensure our business systems can enable our organic indus-trial base.

Finally, we need to recruit, train and retain our invaluable IT workforce, to grow their advanced technical skills for the next generation of capabilities and to enhance their knowledge and understanding of the emerging cyberspace threats. Taking care of our people remains an AMC priority. O


For the first time beginning later this year, soldiers on the battlefield will be equipped with voice and data radios that are not dependent on fixed infrastructure or line-of-sight communications, repre-senting a pivotal step forward for the Army’s tactical radio portfolio.

The current fielding of the Rifleman and Manpack radios comes only months after a Department of Defense decision to realign its radio programs in an effort to continue advancing technology through industry innovation in hardware, while leveraging years of government invest-ment in both hardware and software.

“Tactical radios left the Army as a managed item for a time. Now the Army is bringing that back and reconstituting it,” said Colonel William “Russ” Wygal, proj-ect manager for tactical radios (PM TR). “The message is that the Army believes an important part of its communications infrastructure is in tactical radios.”

Known as software-defined radios (SDR), the new capabilities provide sol-diers with state-of-the-art networking radio systems that greatly improve com-munications for the most disadvantaged

users—the small unit down to the individ-ual warfighter. Prior to SDR development, dismounted soldiers and those in vehicles could face less reliable radio communica-tions as they moved out of line of sight.

Now, the Rifleman, Manpack and other radios under development will solve that inconsistency by acting as their own “rout-ers” with networking waveforms such as Soldier Radio Waveform (SRW). Using those waveforms, the SDRs are built to send both data and voice information between fixed command centers, vehicles on the move and dismounted soldiers on patrol.

The SDR radios will bring a new level of flexibility and agility to the battlefield, providing forward-positioned forces with terrestrial, celestial and aerial tier com-munications.

“The SDRs extend our range of com-munications and allow soldiers in moun-tainous and austere environments to exchange voice and data with each other and with higher headquarters,” said Wygal. “In essence, they allow troops to share more information over greater distances in significantly less time.”

progrAm migrAtion

DoD retired the Joint Program Execu-tive Office for the Joint Tactical Radio System (JTRS) last year, migrating several of its programs to the Army’s Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO C3T). The programs transferred to PEO C3T included Handheld, Manpack, Small Form Fit (HMS), Mid-Tier Networking Vehicular Radio (MNVR) and Airborne Maritime/Fixed Station (AMF).

The non-proprietary JTRS software waveforms, such as SRW, will be man-aged by the new Joint Tactical Networking Center (JTNC), ensuring interoperability across the services and allowing the con-tinued development of open standards that industry can compete to build the hard-ware/radios that work on that network.

With the realignment of the radio pro-grams to PEO C3T, the Army will look to industry to fill a vital role in the stream-lined development and production of SDRs.

“Technical advances in the commercial software-programmable radio market that took place during the JTRS

following trAnsition of the joint tActicAl rAdio system, the Army is beginning to field the first set of next-generAtion rAdios.by nAncy jones-bonbrest


developmental effort have enabled effective hardware solutions—radio ‘boxes’—to be developed,” Wygal said. “Along these lines, guiding industry innovation so that it can address emerging Army capabilities and requirements, counter threats and promote greater affordability is a key focus as we move forward.”

The first Rifleman and Manpack radios are currently being fielded to select brigade combat teams (BCTs) as part of Capability Set 13 (CS 13), the Army’s first mobile communications package providing inte-grated connectivity throughout the BCT.

The Rifleman is carried by platoon, squad and team-level soldiers for voice communications. It also connects with handheld devices to transmit text mes-sages, graphics and other data.

The Manpack, being fielded in both mounted and dismounted configurations, will bridge legacy networks to SRW net-works, allowing dismounted leaders with the Rifleman Radio to communicate with legacy-equipped units and also access beyond-line-of-sight satellite networks.

The Rifleman and the Manpack pro-grams will both conduct full and open competitions that are open to all industry partners. In late 2012 and early 2013, requests for information (RFIs) were issued for both programs, to collect indus-try input in preparation for conducting the competitions this year.

non-developmentAl items

Leveraging progress in the commercial radio market and maturation of nonpropri-etary waveforms, both the AMF and MNVR programs were restructured as non-devel-opmental item programs. This designation allows the program to meet requirements using COTS hardware solutions that can work with waveforms housed in the JTNC’s Information Repository.

PM AMF is overseeing two software-programmable radios with the technol-ogy to connect rotary wing aircraft with ground units, allowing the transmission of data, voice and video over the wireless, secure network.

The Small Airborne Networking Radio (SANR) is designed for the Apache, Chinook, Black Hawk and Kiowa helicopters, as well as the Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft. The Small Airborne Link 16 Terminal (SALT) is being developed for the Apache aircraft. Both offer new networking technologies

capable of connecting the tactical edge through terrestrial and aerial tier communications not reliant on satellite networks or fixed infrastructure. In mountainous terrain, such as Afghanistan, line-of-sight communication is often unavailable.

“It’s the same concept of being able to get the network out to the tactical edge of the battlefield,” said Captain Nigel Nurse, project manager AMF. “These networking radios do not require any satellite or satel-lite connectivity. The best way to think of them is sort of like cellular networks with-out the antenna infrastructure.”

Last August, PM AMF released an RFI to industry for the development of the SANR, and officials are now meeting with the RFI respondents for the second time to discuss capability requirements. An RFI also was also released for SALT to shape the best acquisition approach. Both AMF radio programs are slated for a Milestone C decision by the third quarter of fiscal 2014.

The MNVR capability will provide an extension of data services from the upper tactical network at brigade and battalion to the lower tactical network at company and platoon echelons. Through software reconfiguration, these radios will emu-late current force radios and operate new networking waveforms, offering increased data throughput through self-forming, self-healing and managed communication

networks. MNVR is the replacement for the canceled Ground Mobile Radio program.

As development continues on HMS, AMF and MNVR, the Army will synchronize and ensure compatibility with the COTS and legacy radios in the field, which are also managed by PEO C3T. The realignment also is facilitating hardware and software integration as the Army progresses to its objective network architecture and CS 14.

As the Army continues to advance its tactical radio programs, it will use lessons learned to drive innovation and deliver next-generation radios that significantly increase capability for U.S. soldiers.

“We are leveraging the considerable technological progress achieved over the past decade of JTRS development to har-ness industry’s ability to develop, build and deliver cost-effective radio hardware solu-tions,” said Major General N. Lee S. Price, program executive officer for C3T. “This will lead to enhanced communications capabili-ties from the brigade down to the individual soldier.” O

Nancy Jones-Bonbrest is a staff writer for Symbolic Systems Inc., supporting PEO C3T.

Soldiers from the 4th Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division carried Rifleman Radios at Fort Polk, La., in March 2013. The Rifleman Radio is part of Capability Set 13, the Army’s first fully integrated package of network equipment that transmits voice/chat communications and situational awareness data throughout the BCT. [Photo courtesy of Staff Sgt. Kulani Lakanaria, 4th BCT, 10th Mountain Division]




The United States cannot be confident that our critical information technology sys-tems will work under attack from a sophisti-cated and well-resourced opponent utilizing cyber-capabilities in combination with all of their military and intelligence capabilities (a “full spectrum” adversary). While this is also true for others (allies, rivals and public/private networks), this task force strongly believes DoD needs to take the lead and build an effective response to measurably increase

confidence in the IT systems we depend on (public and private) and at the same time decrease a would-be attacker’s confidence in the effectiveness of their capabilities to compromise DoD systems. We have recom-mended an approach to do so, and we need to start now!

While DoD takes great care to secure the use and operation of the “hardware” of its weapon systems, these security practices have not kept up with cyber-adversary tac-

tics and capabilities. Further, the same level of resource and attention is not spent on the complex network of IT systems that are used to support and operate those weapons or critical cyber-capabilities embedded within them. This task force was asked to review and make recommendations to improve the resilience of DoD systems to cyber-attacks and to develop a set of metrics that the department could use to track progress and shape investment priorities.

defense science boArd report wArns of cyber-threAts And outlines improvements in dod Ability to respond to AttAcKs.

Editor’s Note: The Department of Defense recently released a report by a task force of the Defense Science Board, entitled “Resilient Military Systems and the Advanced Cyber Threat.” Following are excerpts from the document’s executive summary.


Over the past 18 months, the task force received more than 50 briefings from prac-titioners, policymakers and senior officials throughout DoD, the intelligence commu-nity, academia and national laboratories.

As a result of its deliberations, the task force concludes that:

• The cyber-threat is serious, with

potential consequences similar in some ways to the nuclear threat of the Cold War.

• The cyber-threat is also insidious, enabling adversaries to access vast new channels of intelligence about critical U.S. enablers (operational and technical; military and industrial) that can threaten our national and economic security.

• Current DoD actions, though numerous, are fragmented. Thus, DoD is not prepared to defend against this threat.

• DoD red teams, using cyber-attack tools that can be downloaded from the Internet, are very successful at defeating our systems.

• U.S. networks are built on inherently insecure architectures with increasing use of foreign-built components.

• U.S. intelligence against peer threats targeting DoD systems is inadequate.

• With present capabilities and technology, it is not possible to defend with confidence against the most sophisticated cyber-attacks.

• It will take years for the department to build an effective response to the cyber-threat to include elements of deterrence, mission assurance and offensive cyber-capabilities.

recommendAtions

1. Protect the nuclear strike as a deterrent (for existing nuclear armed states and exis-tential cyber-attack).

Secretary of defense assigns U.S. Strategic Command the task to ensure the availability of nuclear command, control and commu-nications and the Triad delivery platforms in the face of a full-spectrum Tier V-VI attack—including cyber (supply chain, insiders, com-munications).

Our nuclear deterrent is regularly evalu-ated for reliability and readiness. However, most of the systems have not been assessed (end-to-end) against a Tier V-VI cyber-attack to understand possible weak spots. A 2007 Air

Force study addressed portions of this issue for the ICBM leg of the U.S. triad but was still not a complete assessment against a high-tier threat.

The task force believes that our capacity for deterrence will remain viable into the foreseeable future, only because cyber-prac-titioners that pose Tier V-VI level threats are limited to a few state actors who have much to hold at risk, combined with confidence in our ability to attribute an existential level attack.

2. Determine the mix of cyber, protected-conventional, and nuclear capabilities nec-essary for assured operation in the face of a full-spectrum adversary.

• Secretary of defense and chairman, Joint Chiefs of Staff (CJCS) designate a mix of forces necessary for assured operation.

To ensure the president has options beyond a nuclear-only response to a cata-strophic cyber-attack, DoD must develop a mix of offensive cyber and high-confidence conventional capabilities. Cyber-offense may provide the means to respond in-kind. The protected conventional capability should pro-vide credible and observable kinetic effects globally. Forces supporting this capability are isolated and segmented from general purpose forces to maintain the highest level of cyber-resiliency at an affordable cost. Nuclear weap-ons would remain the ultimate response and anchor the deterrence ladder. This strategy builds a real ladder of capabilities and allevi-ates the need to protect all of our systems to the highest level requirements, which is unaf-fordable for the nation. Similar to the prior argument regarding the cyber-resiliency of the nuclear deterrent, DoD must ensure that some portion of its conventional capability is able to provide assured operations for theater and regional operations within a full-spec-trum, cyber-stressed environment.

Because of the expected cost of imple-mentation, the protected-conventional capability must support a limited num-ber of cyber-critical survivable missions. This task force recommends improving the cyber-resiliency of a mix of the following systems for assured operation in the face of a full spectrum adversary: global selec-tive strike systems, for example penetrat-ing bombers, submarines with long-range cruise missiles, conventional prompt global strike, survivable national and combatant command C2.

• Segment sufficient forces to assure mission execution in a cyber environment.

Segmentation must differentiate only sufficient forces required to assure mission execution; it is not required across an entire capability. For example, if long-range strike is a component of the protected-conventional capability, then DoD should segment a suf-ficient quantity that is designated as a cyber-critical survivable mission. Notionally, 20 aircraft designated by tail number, out of a fleet of hundreds, might be segregated and treated as part of the cyber critical surviv-able mission force. Segmented forces must remain separate and isolated from the general purpose forces, with no dual-purpose mis-sions (for example, the current B-52 conven-tional/nuclear mission). DoD must engage multi-agency counterparts for an updated strategic deterrence strategy, including the development of cyber-escalation scenarios and thin lines.

3. Refocus intelligence collection and anal-ysis to understand adversarial cyber-capa-bilities, plans and intentions, and to enable counterstrategies.

The secretary of defense, in coordina-tion with the directors of CIA, FBI and DHS, should require the director of national intel-ligence to support enhanced intelligence collection and analysis on high-end cyber-threats.

Intelligence must include the identifica-tion and understanding of adversarial cyber-weapon development organizations, tools, leadership and intentions, and the develop-ment of targeting information to support initiatives to counter cyber-weaponization. Mitigating a Tier V-VI threat is impossible without filling these intelligence gaps. There-fore, the IC should increase the priority of its intelligence collection and reporting require-ments in this domain.

4. Build and maintain world-class cyber-offensive capabilities (with appropriate authorities).

• USCYBERCOM develop capability to model, game and train for full-scale cyber-warfare.

• Under secretary of defense for personnel and readiness establish a formal career path for civilian and military personnel engaged in offensive cyber-actions.




Today, the United States is a leader in cyber-offensive capabilities. However, most training and engagements are very limited and in controlled environments. Preparing for full-scale force-on-force cyber-battle is not well understood. Challenges range from the scale of numbers of expected sorties to uncertainty of triggering mecha-nisms, trust and capability recovery time-lines, and potential blowback of attacks all happening within the fog of war. To pre-pare, DoD must first begin to understand the full complexities of cyber-war.

Recommendations include develop-ing the capability to model, war game, red team and eventually train for full scale peer-on-peer cyber-warfare. A policy framework should be established for offen-sive cyber-actions, to include who has the authority and under what circumstances and controls to act.

Finally, DoD needs to significantly increase the number of qualified “cyber warriors” and enlarge the offensive cyber-infrastructure commensurate with the size of threat. Professionalizing the cyber-offense skill set and providing career lad-ders in this new field will be a key element toward growing the human resources required to compete effectively. This report is especially concerned with developing top-tier talent who can be certified to per-form at the elite or extreme cyber conflict levels. The United States needs such world-class performers in substantial numbers—some of whom may not be eligible for security clearances.

5. Enhance defenses to protect against low- and mid-tier threats.

DoD chief information officer in col-laboration with the military departments and agencies establish an enterprise secu-rity architecture, including appropriate “building codes and standards” that ensure the availability of enabling enterprise mis-sions.

Some adversaries will not be deterred, such as terrorist organizations and lone wolves; DoD must defend its systems against these low- and mid-tier threats. Therefore, the task force recommends that the DoD CIO establish a DoD-wide “enter-prise” architecture, including “building codes and standards” that ensure availabil-ity of mission operations during peacetime and full-spectrum wartime events. The building code analogy suggests that DoD

should not make every network across the DoD identical, but instead should ensure that all networks, even when tailored by the military departments and end-users, meet a robust set of minimum standards that ensure a reasonable system network defense can be provided.

U.S. networks also need requirements for instrumentation to increase the prob-ability of detection of attacks and create situational awareness to speed remedia-tion. Existing acquisition programs should be influenced, to the maximum extent feasible, with the new requirements. Audits should be conducted to the standard, and conducting in-process reviews to develop migration and mitigation strategies are critical. Legacy systems that cannot be maintained in a timely manner, (and DoD has many of them) must be enclaved and firewalled from the Global Information Grid.

Commercial technologies that enable the automation of some network main-tenance activities and provide real-time mitigation of detected malware are avail-able today. The task force believes that use of these technologies would actually drive network operation costs down and free up resources to hunt on the network for intruders.

6. Change DoD’s Culture Regarding Cyber and Cyber-Security.

Secretary of defense and CJCS estab-

lish a DoD-wide policy, communication, education and enforcement program to change the culture regarding cyber and cybersecurity.

Establish a DoD-wide policy, communi-cation, and education program to change the cyber-culture. When focused, DoD can be one of the most disciplined large orga-nizations in the world. It is this discipline that enables DoD to establish and execute processes that ensure the physical fitness of the armed forces, the safe and secure handling of weapons and the effective management of classified material. The same level of importance and discipline has not been applied to cyber-hygiene and security. We will not succeed in securing our systems against even low- and mid-tier threats without changing this dynamic.

Communication of the critical impor-tance of DoD cyber-hygiene must be led by the secretary, CJCS and their direct reports. Updated policies and training

programs, and providing clear, punitive consequences for breach of policy will be necessary to move DoD to a higher level of cyber-readiness.

7. Build a Cyber-Resilient Force.

The deputy secretary of defense should direct specific actions to introduce cyber-resiliency requirements throughout DoD force structure to include:

• Build a set of standards/requirements that incorporate cyber-resiliency into the cyber critical survivable mission systems identified in Recommendation 2.

The DoD CIO, in coordination with under secretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics, should estab-lish a resiliency standard to design, build and measure capability against. The Joint Staff will use the standard to inform the requirements process. The cyber-resiliency standard should be applied to sufficient segments of the force structure identified as the conventional components of the escalation ladder to achieve a credible deterrent effect.

• Apply a subset of the cyber-resiliency standard developed above to all other DoD programs.

• Increase feedback from testing, red teaming, the IC, and modeling and simulation as a development mechanism to build-out DoD’s cyber-resilient force.

• Develop a DoD-wide cyber-technical workforce to support the build-out of the cyber-critical survivable mission capability and rollout to DoD force structure.

• Science and technology community establish secure system design project with federally funded research and development centers, university-affiliated research centers, academia, commercial and defense industry.

• Intelligence community should initiate a supply chain collection activity. O




The Army saved $1.2 billion last year in IT spending by smarter buying practices and reduced inefficiencies, and expects to meet a goal of $1.5 billion this year, accord-ing to Lieutenant General Susan Lawrence.

Lawrence, who serves as chief information officer/G-6 for the Army, recently laid out her plans for moderniz-ing Army networks within an austere budget environment, in an address to an Army IT conference sponsored by AFCEA NOVA.

“We know that we have to reduce our costs,” Lawrence said. “Part of the secretary of the Army’s directive to us was to reduce our budget by $1.5 billion by fiscal year 2015. Last year, we reduced the IT budget by $1.2 billion by just being smarter, with better buying power, and finding duplications and inefficiencies. We’re continuing to work those this year, and will easily meet the $1.5 billion target. But I’m also asking for that money to be returned to us, so that we can recapitalize and get to the modernized environment.”

Those ongoing savings are being achieved as Army and Department of Defense leaders engage in intensive plan-ning for the potential impact of federal budget sequestration, as well as continued uncertainty over the current fiscal year budget. Even so, Lawrence made clear, the leadership is determined not to let progress towards its network modernization and other goals slacken as a result.

“The toughest thing we have to do is to explain to our bosses the importance of the network and what it will bring to the fight, and why everything we do in support of the Army needs to be a category 1 on a scale of 0 to 6, with category 0 being statutorily required. So far, it has worked. It was the

ability to explain it operationally, as to why we must continue to invest in a moderniza-tion of the network,” said Lawrence, adding that she recently organized a “deep dive”

session on the network for Army leaders.

Lawrence summed up the need for network mod-ernization this way: “If you go forward in Afghanistan, you have the greatest tech-nology. You are everything over IP and unlimited band-width. Every operational needs statement that came in from theater was purchased. But if you go back to our

posts, camps and stations, you’re in the Stone Ages. You’re still on copper circuit switches. So we’ve got to study post by post what we need to do to modernize Land-WarNet 2020 and beyond.

“A modernized network is absolutely essential to us being a smaller, better trained expeditionary Army as we go forward. If we get this right, we can go anywhere globally and be connected,” she observed.

Lawrence portrayed key Army initia-tives, such as Enterprise Email and data center consolidation, as part of broader efforts to extend the network and connect to every soldier. “The Enterprise Email effort didn’t have anything to do with email, but had everything to do with giving every per-son a IP address so that we could connect them no matter where they were, and that’s what we’re doing today,” Lawrence said, noting that the new system had just signed up its millionth user.

Similarly, “Data center had nothing to do with consolidating data centers, but everything to do with data—how we tag it, store it and get access to it. The hardest part has been cleaning up the data and the thousands of applications that we’ve had

residing on our networks that we haven’t been using in a long time. It’s all about the data,” she said.

In discussing her priorities for the future, Lawrence emphasized the importance of adopting new technologies more quickly in order to deliver the modernized network. That includes addressing the issue of net-work capacity, since demand is outpacing capacity on many Army installations with legacy networks.

The four primary lines of effort ahead, she said, will be to build capacity, improve security, deliver enterprise services to the edge, and standardize the network.

The CIO also outlined an approach to paying for things like installation upgrades that is anchored both in budget realities and the constantly changing nature of the IT business. “We’ve done the engineering work to do 10 installations and one core data center. As the money comes in, we get going. This gives the leadership three things. One, we’re only going to buy enough for those 10 installations, because we know that technology turns over. You don’t want to buy for a bunch of years, but only in the year of execution.

“Also, we know that the cost of IT goes down, for example from $1,200 for a VoIP phone in 2005 to $249 today. What I’m trying to convince the leadership is not even to buy that, but go to a single unit with a $50 Blue-tooth device, and that’s your phone. Then we save even more,” she said. “This strategy enables the leadership to change priorities of where we go next, buy just enough to get there, and keep the network modernized. As we go through life cycle maintenance, we can continue to upgrade the installations.” O

IT Needs and Budget Realities

Lt. Gen. Susan Lawrence

Army cio lAwrence lAys out plAns for modernizing networKs within An Austere fiscAl environment.by hArrison donnelly

mit editor


compiled by Kmi media Group staffcotSacoPia commercial off-the-Shelf technology

Lockheed Martin and Fixmo have integrated technologies to provide a new level of secure authentication for mobile devices with unparalleled ease of use by joining forces with Fixmo’s SafeZone and Lockheed Martin’s Mandrake SG technology. Fixmo SafeZone is a defense-grade secure workspace solution for iOS and Android devices that keeps all corporate email, browsing, docu-ments and applications encrypted, contained, and under IT control no matter who owns the device. Lockheed Martin’s Mandrake SG technology will enable

smartphone and tablet users to authenticate into Fixmo SafeZone with a simple, user-defined gesture, which has been proven to be more secure and far easier to use than a 14-character, complex, randomly generated password. By integrating Lockheed’s Mandrake Secure Gesture capabilities into the Fixmo SafeZone secure workspace, Fixmo can now enable business users and govern-ment employees to easily switch contexts between the personal and business sides of the device while ensuring the integrity and identity of the user.

A new L-band service from Inmarsat will deliver robust, low-cost beyond-line-of-sight (BLOS) mobile communications to a broad range of new government users. The service, called L-TAC, will deliver a UHF-like tactical satellite capability for use with existing military radios by approved government customers. UHF tactical satellite capability is in high demand because of its suit-ability for BLOS push-to-talk networks using tactical radios—either portable or installed in vehicles, helicopters, ships or other mobile platforms. The L-TAC service will provide additional capability over the Inmarsat-4 satellites when UHF capacity is unavailable. The global constellation offers the additional benefit of supporting small antennas for BLOS communications on the move. To access the leased service, users require only a small antenna adaptor for their existing tactical radio, which replaces their existing UHF antenna. L-TAC will enable militaries to exercise greater command and control through existing tactical radios at a realistic cost, company executives said.

General Dynamics Canada has introduced its next-generation Tactical Mobile Router, the TMR 200, a compact, modular and flex-ible router that can be easily configured and integrated in a variety of platforms and wireless networks. With the ability to handle high-bandwidth applications, it ensures reliable and secure communica-tions even where wireless network infrastructures do not exist or when nodes are overloaded or off the network. It is ideally suited for tactical environments where network and vehicle electronic architec-tures are becoming more complex with high-definition cameras and sophisticated sensors streaming gigabits of information. Engineered specifically for in-field communications, the TMR 200 allows defense and public safety personnel, mobile command centers and central commands to share high-bandwidth applications such as situational awareness information or battle management applications, along with critical voice and data. The TMR 200’s “intelligent management” automatically adapts to network changes and maintains reliable connections in harsh environments. It uses advanced networking technologies to store and forward vital communications if a network connection is broken.

User-Defined Gesture Authenticates Mobile Devices

The recently released LogRhythm 6.1 represents a significant enhance-ment of the Security Information and Event Management 2.0 security analytics platform, which provides the industry’s first multi-dimensional behavioral analytics tool. Amid increasingly frequent and sophisticated cyberthreats, tradi-tional point security solutions are no longer enough to secure ever-expanding IT estates. According to the 2012 Verizon Data Breach Report, 85 percent of breaches took weeks or more to discover. LogRhythm 6.1 enables organiza-tions to baseline normal, day-to-day activity across multiple dimensions of the enterprise. The system then analyzes against that baseline the massive volume of log, flow and machine data generated every second to discover anomalies in real time. By doing so, LogRhythm is enabling IT administrators and security professionals alike to detect and respond to even the most sophisticated threats and breaches.

Ultra Electronics, 3eTI, a provider of military-grade, cybersecure network solutions for critical information systems, infrastructure and industrial automation, has announced UltraVision Spectrum Manager, a proactive monitoring tool for the radio frequency (RF) spec-trum. Spectrum Manager offers a unique application designed to intelligently monitor the RF spectrum at the physical layer and immediately alert IT managers to interference. Spectrum Manager is the newest addition to 3eTI’s portfolio of UltraVision solutions, which seek to provide the ultimate level of operational wireless infrastructure availability for improved situational awareness, command, control and communications. With its network-centric topology, Spectrum Manager monitors for RF interference within an area of interest by performing intelligent analysis of emissions. The tool uses strategically positioned spectrum sensors with innovative antenna arrays that relay data back to a central monitoring display with geographic overlays. The data then allows personnel to localize the origin of the interference using a management console or mobile unit.

L-Band Service Offers Tactical Satellite Capability

Real-Time Anomaly Detection Strengthens Security Tool

Spectrum Tool Monitors Radio Interference

Tactical Mobile Router Manages High-Bandwidth

Applications


advErtisErs indExAccessories for Electronics Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27www.afeaccess.comCenturyLink . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7www.centurylink.com/business/federal-govCornet Technology Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19www.cornet.com/ipgate-whitepaperLevel 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5www.level3.com/governmentLogRhythm . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C4www.logrhythm.com/federalSabtech Industries Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27www.sabtech.comUniversity of Maryland University College . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . C2http://military.umuc.edu/anyplace

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June 25-27, 2013USCYBERCOM SymposiumBaltimore, Md.www.afcea.org

mit reSoUrce center

AFE Accessories For Electronics

Authorized Distributors of Pentair Birtcher, Calmark and Schroff

tel: 631-847-0158 | e-mail: [email protected]


Edward Siira brings to his position more than 30 years of experience with marketing, selling and engineering video, voice, and data telecommunications and networking prod-ucts. His extensive knowledge of networking covers asynchronous, BSC, SNA SDLC, X.25, IP and SONET topologies. Over the years, he has employed his diverse background and expertise to direct the design of patch panels, A/B switches, matrix switches, packet switches, and a range of network manage-ment software spanning DOS, UNIX, LINUX and various MS Windows operating systems.

Q: What types of products and services are you offering to military and other govern-ment customers?

A: The Cornet Technology product portfolio covers voice, data and video communications products optimized to support our U.S. gov-ernment clients as well as the armed forces of our allies.

Providing both secure and non-secure communications to the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Navy is our Tactical Voice Communica-tion Systems [TVCS] series of conference switch products. This product line utilizes VoIP at its core, simplifying network design and providing a path to the future.

Our video encoders, decoders and storage products are used in ISR applications to link legacy interface cameras to storage devices and IP-based radios on board military aircraft. These products also provide a convenient way to manage high-definition resources in a command-and-control facility while provid-ing a cost-effective solution for the client.

Our IPGate product family provides an easy way to migrate from a legacy TDM-based network to an Ethernet IP-based network. This product range offers the possibility of significant cost savings by migrating legacy devices to an IP backbone. Additionally, it also provides an integral bus feature to allow easy testing of the far end legacy portion of the link.

All of these products are designed to meet the exacting standards of our military customers both in the U.S. and abroad. Our COTS and customized solutions help achieve

size, weight and power-cost savings in the areas of command, control and communica-tions and ISR.

Although not a services company in the traditional sense, we do provide field support for products as needed by our clients. We also offer program management as well as integration services such as EMI, shock and vibration, temperature and humidity testing as required by the end user or our integra-tion partner.

Q: What applications do your products serve?

A: Cornet Technology’s TDM-to-IP transport products—IPGate—offer government cus-tomers the means of meeting the CIO man-date to move all applications and networks to IP-based networks. These units reduce costs by eliminating dedicated TDM trunks, expensive leased lines, digital and analog voice circuits, and other serial data connec-tions, and open the door to the benefits of IP networking.

In addition, the IPGate products are used to move radio equipment to a more suitable location, keeping sensitive equipment such as encryption devices near the users of remotely deployed radios.

Our field-tested and deployed IP-based secure/non-secure TVCS systems are ideal for air mission control as well as for internal and external shipboard communication. These products allow the use of fiber infrastructure, reducing weight and susceptibility to com-promise through a reduction of EMI.

To meet the ever-growing need for imme-diate situation awareness, we also offer video

encoders, decoders and recorders that employ the latest video technologies to encode, com-press and store video for a wide range of applications such as airborne ISR, shipboard surveillance and C2 intelligence distribution. These products typically allow a legacy sen-sor to link to an IP backbone, saving money and time.

Q: What unique benefits does your company provide its customers in comparison with other companies in your field?

A: Cornet Technology products are designed and manufactured in the U.S. Since Cornet Technology designs, engineers, manufac-tures and sells its products from its head-quarters facility in Northern Virginia, the company is adept at and has the agility to modify any product to meet our customer’s exact needs. Among the military and system integration communities, Cornet Technol-ogy has an excellent reputation for provid-ing specialized engineering services. The company’s talented engineering staff works closely with customers to modify existing products or develop new ones tailored to their exact requirements. Our engineering expertise is underscored by the strong mar-ket acceptance of our products and the high rate of return business.

Q: What are some of the most significant programs your company is currently work-ing on with the military?

A: Cornet TVCS products are presently being installed in the Navy’s Littoral Combat Ships, the newest ships in the fleet. In addition, our IPGate-AC product is being used in the Air Force’s E4B [Advance Airborne Command Post] to provide switching, access, and testing capability for air to ground communications. Our video encoders and recorders are being used by international air forces for reconnaissance missions and to store and archive acoustic data from deployed sonobouys, aircraft inter-communications system audio and other applicable signals in support of under surface warfare missions. O

Edward SiiraVice President of International Sales

Cornet Technology

inDUStry interVieW military information technology


NEXT ISSUE

Cover and In-Depth Interview with:

Lt. Gen. Mark S. BowmanDirector for C4/CyberChief Information OfficerJoint Staff

Insertion Order Deadline: April 18, 2013 • Ad Materials Deadline: April 25, 2013

May 2013Vol. 17, Issue 4

FeAtureS


Cloud Service BrokersSetting up cloud services with third-party assistance, or cloud service brokers, is becoming increasingly common both within private industry and the federal government.

Industrial Control SystemsAlong with major infrastructure providers throughout the economy, the Department of Defense is paying increased attention to the threat posed by cyber-attacks on industrial control systems.

Serial to Packet MigrationAs the military continues to rely on a wide variety of systems based on earlier generations of technology, products that bridge the gap between legacy applications and Internet Protocol could play an important role.

Joint tactical Networking Center

Established in the wake of the demise of the overall Joint Tactical Radio System, the Joint Tactical Networking Center facilitates secure, interoperable, and affordable joint and coalition software-defined, tactical networking capabilities.

Compromised credentials? Systems hacked? Data breached? In today’s IT environment, it’s a question

of when, not if. LogRhythm’s SIEM 2.0 security intelligence platform provides a certifi ed solution for Federal

and classifi ed environments that is as easy to deploy as it is to use – at a price that fi ts within your budget.

It’s time to see what you’ve been missing.

Call 1-866-384-0713 to learn more or schedule a demo. Or visit www.LogRhythm.com/federal

A 2012 LEADERSIEM Magic Quadrant

Certifi cate of Networthiness FIPS Certifi ed Common Criteria Certifi ed

First Gen SIEM:Costly, Complex, Defi cient

SIEM 2.0 | See what you’re missing.

MIT 17-3 (April 2013)

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