Sponsored by Spectra Group
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19 Dec 19. Yes, a balloon/kite might improve battlefield networks. The ideal battlefield network is so ever-present as to be unnoticeable. While the ubiquity of coverage people expect in civilian spaces is unlikely to be matched in combat, new communications tools hope to extend that power to military. One such device is the Helikite aerostat.
The Helikite is a combination helium balloon and kite, in which both parts work together to provide stability and lift. Held in place by a tether, the Helikite can lift a payload to an altitude of up to 7,000 feet. Payloads range from video cameras to communications relays. The British and U.S. militaries have tested military Helikites with cameras, some even with targeting equipment as well.
In September 2019, NATO tested the Helikites as part of the Recognized Environmental Picture (Maritime Unmanned Systems) (REP(MUS)) exercise in Portugal.
For REP(MUS), the Helikites carried mobile ad-hoc network relays, expanding the range of connection between human operators and piloted drones, like the Puma, which streamed video to Portuguese marines as they performed a beach storming exercise. In addition, the Helikites provided a communications link to uncrewed surface vessels, helping extend the range at which the robots could be controlled and commanded.
Lighter-than-air craft have a long history of military use, though the vulnerabilities of a flying bag of gas are not to be discounted. Consider, for the moment, the Goodyear Inflatoplane, a Cold War oddity of a soft-body aircraft designed primarily as a means to help downed pilots fly back home to freedom. Despite testing proving that the unique pressurization of the Infaloplane’s body could maintain integrity even when punctured six times by .30 caliber bullets, the perception remained that it was an aircraft which could be disabled by a single well-placed shot from a bow-and-arrow.
Without the safety of an onboard pilot to worry about, the helikite can match a degree of expendability to its light body and useful payload.
“These Helikites can lift surveillance equipment above the range of small arms fire,” write Helikite makers Airborne Communications Ltd, “effectively making Helikites unassailable to most common threats.”
When it comes to designing systems for the future of warfare, a repurposing of old physical frames with new technological payloads can go a long way to delivering that major technological triumph: a communications network so durable, the people using it barely have to think about it not existing. (Source: C4ISR magazine)
18 Dec 19. One way the Pentagon wants to improve electronic warfare.
To help commanders better understand their proverbial terrain in the electromagnetic spectrum, some combatant commands have created cells with planners who specialize in electromagnetic spectrum operations.
These cells, known as joint electromagnetic spectrum operations cells, sometimes referred to as JEMSOCs, are in their nascent stages and located at four combatant commands, Maj. Gen. Lance Landrum, deputy director of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Cross Functional Team, told reporters Dec. 18. Those commands are European Command, Africa Command, Central Command and Indo-Pacific Command.
The new cells have been hampered from a lack of personnel and resources, according to a report delivered to Congress this fall. As a result, the Pentagon is expected to set aside money to help establish the teams.
“They are intended to be a ground zero of subject matter expertise for the commander to interpret the electromagnetic environment and give advice in both planning and operational maneuver,” Landrum said.
The cells play into a larger Department of Defense push to create better mechanisms for understanding, championing and operating in the electromagnetic spectrum.
“I can very firmly say we’re challenged in the electromagnetic spectrum,” said Landrum, whose team is working to update department-wide strategy on the electromagnetic spectrum. “Our competitors see [our] dependency and so they see that dependency as a possible vulnerability and because it’s viewed as a possible vulnerability, our competitors seem to have focused on it.”
However, despite experts in these cells helping with planning, the services still need battle management tools to help see the spectrum where they’re operating.
While the Pentagon is working on big picture, theater wide battle management tools, military leaders don’t have access to such a system today. In the future, commanders want a program that will provide a picture of adversary networks, systems and space as well as a visualization of friendly systems. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
18 Dec 19. One way the Pentagon wants to improve electronic warfare. To help commanders better understand their proverbial terrain in the electromagnetic spectrum, some combatant commands have created cells with planners who specialize in electromagnetic spectrum operations.
These cells, known as joint electromagnetic spectrum operations cells, sometimes referred to as JEMSOCs, are in their nascent stages and located at four combatant commands, Maj. Gen. Lance Landrum, deputy director of the Electromagnetic Spectrum Operations Cross Functional Team, told reporters Dec. 18. Those commands are European Command, Africa Command, Central Command and Indo-Pacific Command.
The new cells have been hampered from a lack of personnel and resources, according to a report delivered to Congress this fall. As a result, the Pentagon is expected to set aside money to help establish the teams.
“They are intended to be a ground zero of subject matter expertise for the commander to interpret the electromagnetic environment and give advice in both planning and operational maneuver,” Landrum said.
The cells play into a larger Department of Defense push to create better mechanisms for understanding, championing and operating in the electromagnetic spectrum.
“I can very firmly say we’re challenged in the electromagnetic spectrum,” said Landrum, whose team is working to update department-wide strategy on the electromagnetic spectrum. “Our competitors see [our] dependency and so they see that dependency as a possible vulnerability and because it’s viewed as a possible vulnerability, our competitors seem to have focused on it.”
However, despite experts in these cells helping with planning, the services still need battle management tools to help see the spectrum where they’re operating.
While the Pentagon is working on big picture, theater wide battle management tools, military leaders don’t have access to such a system today. In the future, commanders want a program that will provide a picture of adversary networks, systems and space as well as a visualization of friendly systems. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
18 Dec 19. Congress reigns in Navy’s electronic warfare programs. House and Senate appropriators are worried about delays and premature funding for two of the Navy’s most high-profile electronic warfare programs.
In a spending bill released Dec. 16, appropriators provided $340m for the principal electronic warfare system carried by Navy surface ships, formally known as AN/SLQ-32. The Department of Defense had requested about $420 m for that program. Specifically, lawmakers said the block 3 portion of the program that would upgrade the fleet’s capability to electronically attack anti-ship missiles was “early to need.”
Lawmakers had taken a similar position in the annual defense policy bill.
In addition, House and Senate leaders budgeted $581m for the Navy’s premier standoff electronic attack platform, known as the Next Generation Jammer, and for the program’s second increment. That’s about $53m less than the Pentagon requested in budget documents released in March.
Early to need
The AN/SLQ-32 program can detect aircraft search and target radars before they detect the ship. It also prevents the long-range targeting of the ship and to deceive missiles launched against the ship.
Northrop Grumman, the prime contractor on the block 3 part of the program, said in late October it is on track for the first targeted installation of the block 3 system on an Arleigh-Burke-class guided missile destroyer in 2021.
The proposal process for full rate production is expected to begin in early 2020 and the program is expected to reach that milestone in 2023. Lawmakers said the Navy did not yet need funding for the block 3 kit, block 3 training systems or block 3 installation funding. They did not elaborate.
Next generation jamming
Meanwhile, the Next Generation Jammer is the Navy’s $8bn plan to update the legacy jamming pods aboard EA-18 Growlers. As part of its strategy, the Navy broke the program into three pods: low band, mid band and high band.
Raytheon, Northrop Grumman and L3 are among the contractors on the program.
In the spending bill, congressional leaders cited delays with a hardware procurement contract and delays in test and evaluation. Their plan, the result of a negotiation between House and Senate conference committee members, docked the Navy about $16 m for hardware procurement contract delays and another $16m for test and evaluation delays. For the second increment, integration with aircraft was noted as premature, and resulted in $7 m less in funding than the Pentagon asked for.
It is not immediately clear which tests were delayed, but in the spring 2019 budget request, Navy officials moved the start of some mission system testing from summer 2019 to early 2020. That test is expected to take about six months.
Adversaries can both hide and attack certain systems within the entirety of the electromagnetic spectrum. To combat that threat, the military needs systems that can operate the across that spectrum. National security experts have said the spectrum is too expansive for a single pod to handle, which led to high, mid and low pods. (Source: Defense News)
16 Dec 19. Pentagon issues $6.5bn contract for network support. Leidos has won a contract to provide support services for the operation, defense and sustainment of the Department of Defense’s major information networks, the government announced Dec. 12.
The Global Solutions Management Operations II award covers the DoD Information Network / Defense Information System Network (DoDIN/DISN), the department’s all-encompassing information and communication technology effort. According to Leidos, the system connects more than 3 million end users, from joint war fighters to policymakers, allowing them to collect, process, store and disseminate information together.
Under the award, Leidos will provide network operations and sustainment, network maintenance and repair and network cybersecurity assurance, according to the company.
“Leidos is proud to modernize and operate the information network that connects war fighters and government leaders around the world,” said Gerry Fasano, Leidos Defense Group president, in a statement. “We will continue to work alongside DISA to align our network solutions with their mission evolution.”
The contract could be worth up to $6,520,000,000 over a 10-year period, with the award including a base five-year period followed by two two-year option periods and a final single-year option period.
The contract is one piece of three follow-on contracts to the Global Information Grid Services Management effort. Along with the $6.5bn Leidos contract, DISA will also be awarding two contracts for engineering, transition and implementation, as well as projects and support. (Source: C4ISR & Networks)
12 Dec 19. CIO Explains DOD’s Advancements in Digital Modernization. Protecting the nation’s warfighters and enabling them to win on the battlefield is the driving force behind the Defense Department’s digital modernization efforts, DOD’s chief information officer said.
Speaking at the Air Force IT Day in Washington today, an event sponsored by AFCEA-NOVA, Deasy said the digital modernization effort includes network improvements, including those for command, control and communications, enabled by cloud computing and artificial intelligence, all protected with robust cybersecurity.
The department’s comprehensive digital modernization strategy began in the summer of 2018, Deasy said.
DOD started building the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure environment yesterday, he said. JEDI is cloud computing that will be made available across all services.
JEDI’s unclassified environment will be built over the next two months, he said. Then, about six months later, the secret environment will stand up, followed later by the top secret layer.
Among 14 early adopters of JEDI are the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, U.S. Transportation Command, U.S. Special Operations Command and the Navy, Deasy said. They will test JEDI ”out to the tactical edge across domains” to inform the way ahead, he added.
Deasy also touched on the JAIC’s AI efforts, which have included developing algorithms that were shared with California firefighters who have been busy battling wildfires. These algorithms enable firefighters to detect fire movements and anticipate speed and direction the fire will take, he said, adding that firefighters have said the algorithms have been quite helpful.
The JAIC also will developing AI algorithms for warfighter weapons systems, suicide prevention and health records, he said.
The addition of JEDI and 5G will accelerate the JAIC’s efforts, he predicted.
Deasy also summarized other digital modernization efforts taking place.
This fiscal year, he said, DOD will sign a quadrilateral memorandum of understanding with NATO to integrate digital modernization with allies. Also this year, DOD will develop proposals for 5G network dynamic spectrum sharing, and will begin hosting industry 5G network pilot programs at selected installations, he said.
Other milestones for this fiscal year include developing performance standards for supply-chain risk, issuing a cyber workforce management strategy and meeting compliance for 28 of 30 cyber hygiene metrics to keep data safe, Deasy said. (Source: US DoD)
13 Dec 19. SA steps up cyber training for next gen of security professionals for space, defence sectors. South Australia is stepping up its training of cyber security professionals to ensure that the state’s growing space, defence and IT sectors are properly secured.
Under the state government’s Skilling South Australia initiative, almost 140 people will gain skills in cyber security, IT and high-tech sectors.
“There is a critical requirement for cyber-trained workers in industry sectors like defence, health, space, agribusiness and education, as well as the economy more broadly,” said SA Minister for Innovation and Skills David Pisoni.
“Businesses will increase their capability through cyber security traineeships and support their ICT staff to gain the latest industry skills through a $71,800 state government-funded project under the Skilling South Australia initiative,” Minister Pisoni said.
“Up to 20 workers at SAGE Group, SA Power Networks and DXC Technology will be the first to begin cyber security traineeships, and I strongly encourage more companies to get involved.”
Mr Pisoni said the traineeship pilot program was ideal for general IT staff wanting to upskill in cyber security functions, with a customised approach to supporting participants and businesses with access to subsidised training.
The two-year traineeship includes a Certificate IV in Cyber Security and is delivered by TAFE SA as an online study program.
The Certificate IV in Cyber Security was developed by AustCyber in collaboration with national industry partners.
This was endorsed by the state’s Training and Skills Commission and South Australia’s Chief Information Security Officer David Goodman.
Modelling by the Training and Skills Commission estimates there will be 5,000 to 7,500 new job openings for ICT workers over the next five years in South Australia, with at least 800 to 1,500 of these staff requiring training in cyber security.
In addition, there are currently around 3,800 ICT workers in South Australia who require continued training in cyber security to increase and maintain their skill base.
“This is one of more than 90 Skilling South Australia projects, worth more than $17m, funded by the state government and co-designed with business and industry to drive apprenticeship and traineeship growth,” Mr Pisoni said.
“This builds on the Marshall government’s recent investment of $8.96m to establish the Australian Cyber Collaboration Centre at Lot Fourteen.
“The centre aims to develop a nation-leading cyber ecosystem in South Australia that contributes to economic growth through new skills, new enterprise, new customers and new investment.”
SAGE general manager of business services Jason Taylor said SAGE values the opportunity to accelerate employees’ capability in cyber security.
“We deliver automation and digital solutions for some of the biggest companies in defence, utilities, transport and manufacturing, so a strong cyber security capability is not only important in protecting our business, but also allows us to develop and deliver secure systems for these clients,” Mr Taylor said.
“We see our role increasingly being as advisers to clients to identify security threats and improve their own systems, and this training will support this strategy.” (Source: Space Connect)
13 Dec 19. US Navy begins construction on new cyber warfare engineering facility. The US Navy has started construction on a new facility to provide classified research, development and operational testing for military weapon systems and cyber platforms. The 10,000ft² Cyber Warfare Engineering Laboratory at the Naval Surface Warfare Center Dahlgren Division (NSWCDD) will provide a single centre for software and hardware testing of military weapon systems, and cyber and network platforms.
NSWCDD commanding officer captain Casey Plew said that the new laboratory is “a testament to the awesome efforts of our workforce who will continue to effectively innovate, engineer, and integrate cyber warfare technical solutions into naval and joint systems across the warfighter domain by leveraging our competencies in warfare systems research, development, analysis, test and evaluation.”
The division’s acting technical director Darren Barnes stated that the facility will support the development and testing of cyber-resilient systems.
The building will serve as a centralised location to enable test personnel to meet cyber engineering and test objectives using interactive tools.
Barnes said: “Upon these grounds, our cyber leaders and specialists will collaborate with warfighters on weapon systems, platforms, and cyberinfrastructure.
“They will leverage the upcoming and awesome cyber warfare engineering capabilities planned for this facility to develop and deploy the ways, means, protocols, and technologies to counter adversary cyber capabilities and identify and mitigate system and infrastructure risks to ensure mission success.”
The laboratory will support the navy and joint weapon systems, platforms, and cyberinfrastructure throughout their lifecycle.
It will help develop capabilities to tackle cyber risks to the systems.
Naval Sea Systems Command Enterprise Information Technology officer Scott St Pierre said: “The Cyber Warfare Engineering Lab is designed to support test and evaluation of the cybersecurity hardening of our warfighting capabilities.” (Source: naval-technology.com)
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Spectra Group Plc
Spectra has a proven record of accomplishment – with over 15 years of experience in delivering secure communications and cybersecurity solutions for governments around the globe; elite militaries; and private enterprises of all sizes.
As a dynamic, agile, security accredited organisation, Spectra can leverage this experience to deliver Cyber Advisory and secure Hosted and Managed Solutions on time, to spec and on budget, ensuring compliance with industry standards and best practices.
Spectra’s SlingShot® is a unique low SWaP system that enables in-service U/VHF tactical radios to utilise Inmarsat’s commercial satellite network for BLOS COTM. Including omnidirectional antenna for the man, vehicle, maritime and aviation platforms, the tactical net can broadcast over 1000s miles between forward units and a rear HQ, no matter how or where the deployment. Unlike many BLOS options, SlingShot maintains full COTM (Communications On The Move) capability and low size and weight
On 23 November 2017, Spectra Group (UK) Ltd announced that it had recently been listed as a Top 100 Government SME Supplier for 2015-2016 by the UK Crown Commercial Services
Spectra’s CEO, Simon Davies, was awarded 2017 BATTLESPACE Businessman of the Year by BATTLESPACE magazine and is a finalist in the inaugural British Ex-Forces In Business Awards in the Innovator Of The Year category.
Founded in 2002, the Company is based in Hereford, UK and holds ISO 9001:2015, ISO 27001 and Cyber Essentials Plus accreditation.
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