Sponsored by Spectra Group
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18 May 21. Huawei cloud, services gain toehold in developing countries. While the U.S., U.K. and other developed countries have banned the use of Huawei equipment in their 5G networks, the Chinese company has plenty of customers for its cloud infrastructure and e-government services according to the “Reconnecting Asia Huawei Cloud & e-Government Data” report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
The May 17 report identified 70 deals in 41 countries between Huawei and foreign governments or state-owned enterprises. The company is focusing on emerging markets and offering not just cloud infrastructure and services, but also financing from Chinese policy banks. Bundling infrastructure and services, it promises its cloud solutions can reduce government operating costs and simplify services delivery.
The equipment and services being deployed range from small, modular data centers to multi-level buildings packed with servers. E-government applications run from document digitization and tax services to national ID systems, crisis communications, elections and more, the report said.
“Despite facing legal and reputational challenges, Huawei’s offers are still gaining traction, with nearly half of the deals with known start dates announced since 2018,” CSIS said. The countries working with Huawei tend to share three characteristics: They are African or Asian, middle income and considered non-liberal, with 77% of deals are with countries that are considered either “not free” or “partly free,” according to Freedom House ratings.
CSIS called for action from the U.S. and its allies, which already have superior cloud products to offer, but have been unable to effectively compete in developing markets without better financing infrastructure and funding for technical assistance.
“In this contest, developing economies are valuable testing grounds and prizes in their own right, offering strong demand, fewer barriers to entry, and less scrutiny than developed economies,” CSIS said. Gaining a foothold in governments could give the company and Chinese authorities intelligence and even coercive leverage, the report suggested. (Source: Defense Systems)
19 May 21. Ball Aerospace-Microsoft Team Completes Demonstrations of Cloud-Based Data Processing, Exploitation and Dissemination. Ball Aerospace, in collaboration with Microsoft, successfully completed a series of demonstrations showing the viability of using commercial cloud computing to process and securely deliver actionable information quickly to those who need it, whether they are in a ground station, command center or on the battlefield.
Enabled by the Defense Innovation Unit’s (DIU) fast-paced commercial solutions process, the demonstrations support the United States Space Force Space and Missile Systems Center’s (SMC) Commercially Augmented Space Inter-Networked Operations (CASINO) Program Office, which serves as the SMC focal point for proliferated Low Earth Orbit (LEO) technology and prototyping.
“Our tests showed that the cloud is, in fact, a viable solution for data processing, exploitation and dissemination of data that is not only fast, but also flexible, secure, scalable and resilient,” said Steve Smith, vice president and general manager, Systems Engineering Solutions, Ball Aerospace. “For years, the military has envisioned an agile and connected force structure. During the demonstration, the CASINO team proved that we are ready to field low-latency links today, which moves this vision much closer to reality.”
For the demonstrations, simulated data from Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR) was pushed to Microsoft’s AZURE cloud where it was processed using Ball-developed event-driven architecture, and then disseminated to multiple end points. In the final demonstration, Telesat joined the Ball-Microsoft team to successfully complete a direct downlink of data from its network of LEO satellites to a Ball-built electronically steerable Ka-Band phased array affixed to a tactical vehicle in order to prove that actionable information could be delivered to the warfighter in the field.
“Direct satellite-to-cloud communication and accelerated ground data processing allows the Department of Defense to gain advanced analytics capabilities enabling predictive modelling and new actionable insights capable of reshaping the future as they advance their mission,” said Tom Keane, corporate vice president, Azure Global, Microsoft. “By combining satellite data with other sources directly in Azure, the Microsoft-Ball Aerospace team has demonstrated an innovative approach for ground processing which also opens the possibilities for a huge range of commercial applications.”
Ball Aerospace has more than 30 years of data processing experience, including developing unique and accurate exploitation algorithms for satellite systems. Ball also has five decades of experience delivering electronically-steered phased array, antenna solutions for commercial, military and government customers and two decades experience delivering flat panel antennas and terminals.
Powered by endlessly curious people with an unwavering mission focus, Ball Aerospace pioneers discoveries that enable our customers to perform beyond expectation and protect what matters most. We create innovative space solutions, enable more accurate weather forecasts, drive insightful observations of our planet, deliver actionable data and intelligence, and ensure those who defend our freedom go forward bravely and return home safely. Go Beyond with Ball.® For more information, visit www.ball.com/aerospace or connect with us on Facebook or Twitter.
(Source: PR Newswire)
19 May 21. INVISIO today announces a new platform and generation of tactical communication control units – the INVISIO V-Series Gen II. Combined with INVISIO headsets, the platform sets a new standard for audio performance and hearing protection within the defense and public safety markets for years to come. INVISIO has a long track record of providing industry-leading solutions to the most demanding elite units in the world. The recipe for this is developing cutting-edge technologies and building on the experience of the users in field. Fueled by a range of new innovations and designed for defense and public safety professionals on critical missions, the INVISIO V-Series Gen II sets the bar for market-leading audio performance and hearing protection.
The new capabilities include audio that automatically adapts to the surrounding noise levels, digital signal processing techniques to filter out all unwanted noise, and increased speech intelligibility. The removal of any constant radio noise when audio transmission is idle, and the smooth transition from noisy to quieter environments is also part of the new offering. Apart from improving communication and safety, all these new capabilities help to eliminate fatigue caused by noise.
The INVISIO Gen II platform brings several new, unique features to the tactical communication market:
Mission adaptive
Received audio volume automatically adapts to surrounding noise level for secure, uninterrupted intelligibility and seamless communication.
INVISIO Audio™
Unparalleled audio performance excluding all unwanted noise.
Market-leading hearing protection
Increased protection levels and option of double hearing protection with hear through at a market-leading 42 dB SNR / 34 dB NNR attenuation.
Flexible and intuitive
Limitless configurations, making Gen II suitable for all scenarios, and VOX functionality and voice prompts for intuitive operations.
A combination of the INVISIO X5 in-the-ear headset, the INVISIO T7 over-the-ear headset and the V60 Gen II control unit constitutes the market leading double hearing protection solution for extremely noisy environments.
Apart from the capabilities available now, it is the long-term prospects and opportunities that excite: “This is not just incremental improvements of an existing product range. This is a new platform for tactical communication systems and a paradigm shift from hardware to software”, INVISIO’s SVP of R&D Jan Larsen explains.
“This will have a huge impact for our customers moving forward as the level of flexibility is exponentially different. We have taken a big leap forward in applying new technologies, digital signaling processing techniques and software that will enable more custom and agile configurations opportunities in the future.”
The concept of customized and unlimited configurations is also well aligned with the integration capabilities already realized today by the INVISIO patented IntelliCable® concept, an intelligent chip embedded in INVISIO cables to auto-detect and upgrade all types of comms devices and their settings.
Not least of all, the Gen II control unit builds on the strong legacy of the current V-Series: Designed and optimized to meet or exceed the rigorous 810G military standard, they are submersible down to 20 meters and are extremely lightweight and rugged.
INVISIO’s SVP of Sales, Carsten Aagesen, concludes: “We are very excited to announce the V-Series Gen II as the platform providing the future of audio performance and hearing protection today”
For more information, visit Invisio.com or contact or your local INVISIO sales representative. Additional product data and photos are available on request.
18 May 21. SOCOM Likely To Boost Cyber, EW. “Everything we’re doing now is going to be hard,” SOCOM commander Gen. Richard Clarke said. “It’s going to be multi-domain, it’s going to be partnered and it’s going to be contested in every step…and there are countries that are close on our heels.”
Special Operations Command may double its investment in cyber operations and electronic warfare in the 2022 budget, a senior command official said today, signaling a shift in how operators view the challenges on future battlefields.
Contained under the heading “next-generation effects,” the emerging area includes defeating drones, offensive electromagnetic and directed energy weapons, and drone swarms — all areas of intensifying focus for the Pentagon.
At the annual SOFIC conference today, a presentation by Lisa Sanders, SOCOM’s director of science and technology, displayed a slide with a graph showing a $36m budget in 2022 for next generation effects, up from $16m in 2021.
The funding line stands out as every other area of funding save for Network and Data Management is likely to dip under the next budget, expected to be released on May 27.
Sanders said that the command wants to move fast, and isn’t interested in “incremental” improvements to existing technologies and weapons systems. In June, SOCOM will host a “foundry day” where industry can bring their ideas for new capabilities — and Sanders warned that they better think hard about what they bring to the table.
“That’s not a bullet that goes farther. It’s not a more accurate sniper rifle,” she said. “It’s going to explore the areas of cyber. It’s going to explore the electromagnetic spectrum, it’s going to explore information as a means of achieving effect.”
What SOCOM leaders are looking for is to fill gaps in its portfolio that include “force protection at the edge, anything in the non kinetic area — information operations, electronic warfare and cyber effects. We’re looking for projects coming to us that have those kinds of capabilities.”
More so than much of the rest of the Pentagon, SOCOM is looking to transform itself from an organization focused on hunting, tracking, and killing insurgents in Iraq, Afghanistan, Yemen and Syria for much of the past two decades to a force that can overmatch a sophisticated enemy. The counterterrorism mission won’t go away, but operations detecting and knocking drones and competing in the electromagnetic spectrum against peer threats will become the focus.
“Everything we’re doing now is going to be hard,” SOCOM commander Gen. Richard Clarke said today at the event. “It’s going to be multi-domain, it’s going to be partnered and it’s going to be contested in every step…and there are countries that are close on our heels.”
With China and Russia rapidly pushing ahead in areas like EW and information operations, special operations forces will need to play both offense and defense, often at the same time. “The more that we can understand how our adversaries and how our competitors are working in this space and apply the intelligence tools against those, the better off we will be,” Clark said. (Source: Breaking Defense.com)
19 May 21. Commtact Ltd. – a leading provider of advanced wireless communications solutions for manned and unmanned platforms on the ground, in the air or at sea – announces that its EMDLS datalink radio units have recently undergone harsh testing cycles administered for the US Army as per known MIL-810 and MIL-461 standards.
The EMDLS datalink radios, are designed and developed specifically for small-mid platforms such as drones and V-TOLs of sorts.
The EMDLS BAT is IP67 certified and exceled in performance under temperature tests of -40°C up to +65°C, withstand hard gusting rain and rough vibrations, and resist penetration and damage from blowing sand and dust.
Commtact’s datalink systems are manufactured in strict compliance with all applicable standards and regulatory requirements and are built for continuance use under severe weather conditions such as heavy rain, salt storms and 100% humidity.
“Attentive as ever to the needs of the forces in the field, our transceivers provide reliable continuous secure data link under any weather condition” says Ariel Kandel, Commtact’s CEO. “We believe that this successful testing will leverage our cooperation with the US Army”.
13 May 21. Biden orders wide cybersecurity changes for government, contractors. Following government cyber breaches, the Biden administration issued a cybersecurity order requiring improved protections at government agencies and prompt breach reports from federal computer network and cloud service suppliers.
The executive order signed Wednesday touches on many issues that the Defense Department is weighing to ensure adequate protections among its vast information technology supplier network, an effort driven in large part by lawmakers’ alarm over recent high-profile government network compromises. For example, lawmakers ordered the DoD to assess programs to share cybersecurity information with the defense industrial base and to consider the possibility of a threat-hunting program on vendors’ networks.
The security of the military’s most sensitive information, such as weapon controls and service members’ locations, rides on its cyber protections.
The Biden administration is trying to eliminate any hesitation or contractual barriers that might prevent IT providers from sharing cyber threat information with the government.
“Federal agencies can’t defend what they can’t see,” a senior administration official said during a call with reporters the day Biden approved the plan. “Removing barriers to information sharing regarding threats and incidents is a fundamental first step to preventing breaches in the first place and empowering the federal government to respond when they do occur.”
The order follows a raft of major cyber breaches and compromises over the last year, including the wide-ranging, Russian-orchestrated Solar Winds intrusion of federal systems that compromised the supply chain; a Chinese-orchestrated operation that compromised Microsoft Exchange servers globally; and a ransomware attack against Colonial Pipeline that is affecting gas supplies. Officials said the order would help detect some of these problems much faster in the future.
“Companies need to share information about the incident, the vulnerability, what occurred. We’re really focused on information that’s important to be used to get out information to better help other entities defend themselves,” the senior administration official said. “We’re really creating a common threshold across the federal government to say let’s make sure that info is shared so all can defend themselves and all can get at information to private sector stakeholders and others to enable them to defend themselves as well.”
The order requires, within six months for some agencies, advanced protections including multifactor authentication of users’ identities and endpoint detection systems that constantly monitor for malicious activity and block it.
“Fundamentally what we saw in SolarWinds was that federal government cybersecurity was not at the level needed to detect attempts to intrude and to rapidly find those that are successful,” the administration official said.
Additionally, the new order pushes the federal government to move to secure cloud services and a zero-trust architecture and mandates encryption to secure data.
In the event of a breach or lesser network problem, the order creates a “playbook” or a standard set of definitions for cyber response by federal agencies.
Software suppliers also must provide federal buyers with a “software bill of materials,” essentially a list of ingredients of what’s inside the software. John Cofrancesco, vice president of government business for Fortress Information Security, told C4ISRNET that the bill of materials was “huge.”
“Weapon systems and platforms were once thought to be disconnected standalone systems, because they were not consistently connected to a network,” Cofrancesco said. “That belief has been dispelled in large part due to the heavily reliance on software that must be updated, refreshed, loaded, downloaded and patched. Each of these present unique touch points and access points for adversaries and criminals to corrupt our systems.”
This executive order is the first step in helping to secure supply chains and add greater transparency and accountability.
Officials acknowledge that the order is limited given the authorities afforded to executive orders. While it is a welcome stride, some argue that more needs to be done to protect the federal government from sophisticated intrusions.
“This executive order is a good first step, but executive orders can only go so far. Congress is going to have to step up and do more to address our cyber vulnerabilities, and I look forward to working with the administration and my colleagues on both sides of the aisle to close those gaps,” Sen. Mark Warner, D-Virginia, chairman of the Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
17 May 21. INFODAS Releases COMP-LAND Tactical Cross Domain Solution For High-assurance Connectivity in Extreme Environments. In order to support Joint All Domain Command and Control (JADC2) and enabling the battle space at the tactical edge, INFODAS developed the COMP-LAND series based on its NATO, EU and German SECRET approved SDoT cross domain solution portfolio. Heat, dust, mud, altitude, or shock no longer limit connectivity of tanks, armored personnel carriers or air defense systems to networks and classification levels that would otherwise be kept separate.
Uni- and Bi-directional Tactical Cross Domain Solution SDoT COMP-LAND
Fast and controlled data exchange from Unclassified to SECRET between sensors, effectors, command and control centers (C2), cloud computing environments or military coalitions from any platform is a future military force multiplier. It allows to improve response times, save bandwidth or scarce space in vehicles by connecting even legacy military platforms to distributed computing and storage capabilities or directly with users on the same mission at different classification levels. The bi-directional SDoT Security Gateway Express and unidirectional SDoT Diode are available as ruggedized tactical cross domain solution COMPACT-LAND (COMP-LAND) in two sizes optimized to withstand extreme environments in vehicles or weapon systems.
SDoT COMP-LAND supports TCP, UDP, HTTP/S, SMTP/S protocols and filters multiple data types such as JREAP, JSON, XML, ASCA, ASTERIX, NMEA, Jchat/XMPP, DIS, HLA or ADatP3. All elements of the Secure Domain Transition (SDoT) Product Family meet high-assurance information security requirements for hardware and software security at the SECRET and below interoperability level (SABI). They are developed and manufactured in Germany with full supply chain transparency. SDoT products are listed in the NATO Information Assurance Product Catalogue (NIAPC) and are export controlled but ITAR free.
“Data is the core of JADC2 or NATO’s Federated Mission Networking (FMN) and SDoT COMP-LAND enables our defense, intelligence and military hardware manufacturers to focus on connecting the dots at the edge instead of following outdated network separation principles,” said Dr. Alexander Schellong, VP Global Business. “The technology might also be of interest to critical infrastructure providers that face IT / OT connectivity Cybersecurity challenges in austere locations.”
About INFODAS – connect more.be secure
INFODAS is an independent, family owned business founded in 1974 in Germany. The company develops innovative cross domain solutions based on security-by-design principles and provides Cybersecurity and IT consulting to government, defense and commercial clients. INFODAS SDoT product family cross domain solutions (SDoT Security Gateway, SDoT Data Diode, SDoT Labelling Service, PATCH.works) are approved up to German, EU, NATO SECRET and are listed in the NATO information assurance catalogue. For the past 10 years SDoT products have been used in the toughest and mission critical environments around the world. They are designed and manufactured in Germany following the security-by-design principle and supply chain transparency. (Source: PR Newswire)
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Spectra Group Plc
Spectra Group (UK) Ltd, internationally renowned award-winning information security and communications specialist with a proven record of accomplishment.
Spectra is a dynamic, agile and security-accredited organisation that offers secure Hosted and Managed Solutions and Cyber Advisory Services with a track record of delivering on time, to spec and on budget.
With over 15 years of experience in delivering solutions for governments around the globe, elite militaries and private enterprises of all sizes, Spectra’s platinum and gold-level partnerships with third-party vendors ensure the supply of best value leading-edge technology.
Spectra was awarded the prestigious Queen’s Award for Enterprise (Innovation) in 2019 for SlingShot.
In November 2017, Spectra Group (UK) Ltd announced its listing as a Top 100 Government SME Supplier by the UK Crown Commercial Services.
Spectra’s CEO, Simon Davies, was awarded 2017 Businessman of the Year by Battlespace magazine.
Founded in 2002, the Company is based in Hereford, UK and holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001:2013 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
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