Air Force Organizes Cyberspace Units Under One Command

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 19, 2009 - Air Force Space Command activated a new unit yesterday to better organize space and cyberspace capabilities and to keep pace with the rapid changes in information technology, the Space Command's top military officer said. The 24th Air Force, activated at a ceremony at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, provides the Air Force with one operational command for the entire tactical space and cyberspace community. It will allow space and cyberspace capabilities to be more accessible to military ground commanders and more effectively resourced, Air Force Gen. C. Robert Kehler said yesterday in roundtable interview with military reporters.

Kehler called the activation "the beginning of what will be a deliberate and focused effort to develop and evolve cyberspace forces and capabilities."

"[Air Force Space Command] is committed to organizing and equipping the 24th Air Force so it can be a premiere organization dedicated to supporting combatant commanders," he added.

The new command consolidates already existing units under one command and improves the way capabilities such as satellite-controlled unmanned aerial systems and GPS technology are resourced. Those units also will be able to adapt easier to mission requirements by centralizing their efforts to meet ground commanders' needs, Kehler said.

"We already have units that conduct cyberspace operational missions," the general explained. "That's not new. What's new is that we've put them all under one [command]. The mission will continue that we have today to defend and operate the network and conduct our other operations."

Space and cyberspace assets are described by three characteristics: access, persistence and awareness. The cyberspace domain links deployed military forces with each other as well as with higher headquarters, giving them immediate access to information and capabilities around the world, he said.

Cyberspace and space capabilities also provide commanders with enduring coverage and strategic views of their environment. The capability allows officials to determine where capabilities would be the most effective. Combining and consolidating capabilities brings "game-changing effects" to the military, Kehler said.

"[The new command] provides synergy across these various mission areas, and it allows us to begin to look to the future," he said. "We now begin to think differently about requirements, acquisition and resourcing. All of those are very important for us to put in place as good foundations as we try to improve our agility to deal with what we see coming our way."

The command's initial concern is to ensure protection of its space and cyber networks, Kehler said. Today's military is well-versed in information technology and relies heavily on dependable cyber and space capabilities. The general declined to specify exact capabilities, but said safeguarding them against potential threats is the command's top priority for now.

"Virtually everything we do in the Air Force anymore is related to network activity in some fashion," he said. "It's about mission assurance, so protecting the networks for mission assurance is No. 1."

Air Force Maj. Gen. Dick Webber is in charge of the new command. The command is made up of the 688th, 67th and 689th Information Operations Wings. The 689th is also a new command created from realigning the 3rd and 5th Combat Communication Groups.

Webber said the new command will have everything it needs to operate and provide support in fixed and deployed environments.

(If you have questions or comments about this story, contact the reporter at Michael.Carden@dma.mil.)

Find a Solicitor Technology

Internet-based marketing continues to expand in the direction of customer feedback driven methodology. A common use of this feedback system is looking for a restaurant. By using a search engine you can usually find and limit your searches to the type of food and location; and, then, many website give you the opportunity to review customer feedback. Additionally, once you have selected the restaurant, you can use any variety of means to get driving directions and even a street level photograph of the location. An example of customer feedback driven marketing expanding is the website Find a Solicitor.

Based in the United Kingdom, “This website was created specifically to help people find a good solicitor in their area. Everyone knows that the best way to find any type of professional is by word of mouth - and we have simply taken that idea onto the Internet!”

The website publisher said, “I started this website after a long and frustrating search for a good and reputable solicitor. Without any recommendations to go on I was basically in the dark. I managed to find a good solicitor eventually - after several false starts - but not before I had the idea of setting up a site that would help people who wanted to go beyond the efficient and professional looking advertisements that many solicitors have in publications such as the Yellow Pages, and find out what the service offered by that solicitor was really like.”

Editor’s Note: This was a sponsored review of the website.

Bruce Kelling Receives Award of Excellence from the IJIS Institute

Award recognizes national information sharing contributions

The IJIS Institute proudly recognizes and congratulates Bruce Kelling, managing principal of Bask Enterprises and founder/former CEO of Tiburon, Inc., on receiving the coveted Robert P. Shumate National Public Safety and Justice Contributor to Excellence Award on August 11, 2009. The award was presented to Mr. Kelling by Mike Lyons, president of the IJIS Institute Board of Directors, , during the National Forum on Criminal Justice and Public Safety, held in Bellevue, Washington.

The Robert P. Shumate National Public Safety and Justice Contributor to Excellence Award is presented annually by the IJIS Institute to the person from either industry or the public sector who has made the most valuable contribution to justice and public safety information sharing during the past year. Candidates for the award are nominated by IJIS Institute members and affiliates, and represent the highest level of conviction to public safety information sharing.

The award was presented to Bruce Kelling for his very significant contributions to the many successes of the IJIS Institute. Mr. Kelling has been active in a variety of capacities including his initial involvement as a founding member of the IJIS Institute’s predecessor organization, the Industry Working Group. He has served as president of the Board of Directors of the IJIS Institute and he served two three-year terms on the Board of Directors. He currently chairs the IJIS Institute’s Fundraising Development Committee, and works on various ad hoc study committees. As chair of the IJIS Institute NIBRS/N-DEx Advisory Committee, he was a major contributor to the acceptance of the use of a single national Information Exchange Packet Documentation (IEPD) by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s (FBI) Criminal Justice Information Services (CJIS) Advisory Policy Board. He is also the IJIS Institute’s representative to the Law Enforcement IT Standards Council. His contributions help make the IJIS Institute a well-known and successful contributor at national levels in serving the justice and public safety communities.

Bruce is well known as the founder and CEO of Tiburon, Inc., where he was the single-most responsible person in industry for creating the popular acceptance of the term “RMS” or records management system to describe police system automation. He was engaged in the design and administration of the implementation of hundreds of public safety systems, including serving as the original project manager for the implementation of the International Justice and Public Safety Network (Nlets).

The Robert P. Shumate National Public Safety and Justice Contributor to Excellence Award is named after Robert P. Shumate, who served as the first president of the IJIS Institute and chairman of the IJIS Industry Working Group. Shumate was one of the key organizers and creators of the IJIS Institute. Prior to his retirement, Shumate was one of the pioneers in designing and building statewide police information systems throughout the country.

About the IJIS Institute—The IJIS Institute serves as the voice of industry by uniting the private and public sectors to improve mission critical information sharing for those who protect and serve our communities. The IJIS Institute provides training, technical assistance, national scope issue management and program management services to help government fully realize the power of information sharing. Founded in 2001 as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation with national headquarters on the George Washington University Virginia Campus in Ashburn, Virginia, the IJIS Institute has grown to more than 250 member and affiliate companies across the United States. For more information visit www.ijis.org.

Managed Internet Security Subscriptions: Wave of the Future? (Part 5 of 7)

Why would you need a comprehensive security service package?

The Internet-based attacks on your personal privacy and security continue to worsen year after year. The future of Internet security is gloomy and it takes an extremely dedicated and savvy computer user to find the right mix of security programs and stay current with the newest threats. Internet security is not a one-time event. You cannot simply install security software on your PC and then forget about its safety and security, and ultimately, the safety and security of your family, home, and business. Internet safety and security require an ongoing, time-intensive process with a fairly high level of expertise and vigilance.

Why would you need a team of security experts on your side?

Would you want to be an Internet security expert? If you are like most people, you neither want to nor have the time. You don't want to worry about staying current with the latest technologies. You can't possibly keep up with the all the new threats coming at you almost daily because you have better things to do with your time. Instead, most people end up relying on the opinions and recommendations of more knowledgeable friends and family members for their security needs and hope nothing bad happens. But is that the best and safest strategy?

To get maximum protection for your PC, you need an Internet security expert on your side. Better yet, you need a team of experts making sure that you, your family, and your business are always safe and secure. You need to find your own personal team of experts to rely on. If you ever have a security problem, you want a trusted expert you can call for professional answers and solutions without any hassles and extra costs! As time goes on, it will become even more critical than it is today.

The best protection you can have in today's rapidly changing world of cyber-attacks is to have expert support for all your Internet security needs. Hackers will likely always be one step ahead of law enforcement and the security industry itself. Software-based protection alone, as you can see, is not enough anymore.

Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!

© MMIX, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator

About the Author:

Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection against spyware, viruses, hackers, and other pc-disabling cybercrimes. To obtain more information and receive a free evaluation, visit him at www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com.

National Guard Embraces Social Media

By Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill
Special to American Forces Press Service

Aug. 12, 2009 - Even in the 140-character brevity demanded of a "tweet," the enthusiasm National Guardsmen have for communicating through Twitter software is evident. "Just shot my first rounds from a M1A1 Main Battle Tank. Killed 3 of 4 targets. Best Tank on the planet!"

And it's not just the rank-and-file who are communicating, although among Twitter's millions of users -- the company won't say exactly how many -- one stands out: He wears four stars and is responsible for policies, programs and plans affecting more than 450,000 National Guard members.

Air Force Gen. Craig McKinley, chief of the National Guard Bureau, may be a Twitter rarity -- follow him @ChiefNGB – but it's not unique to find a leader of his stature at the cyberspace water cooler.

Even as debate over social media policy swirled in the Defense Department this summer, someone tapped out this tweet:

"Obviously we need to find the right balance between security and transparency. We are working on that. But am I still going to tweet? You bet."

The author? Navy Adm. Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff -- follow him @thejointstaff.

Healthy debate is going on about the balance between the need for operational, information and network security and transparency, but the National Guard embraced social media in November.

"The old way of communicating – internal communications or command information, external communications or media relations and community relations – [is] a 20th century model," said Jack Harrison, the National Guard Bureau's director of public affairs and strategic communication. "General McKinley is a believer in communication -- collaborate, coordinate, communicate -- and he is very much embracing social media.

"Our position on social media is that we ought to carefully learn these different methods of communicating," Harrison continued, "keeping in mind our objective when we're communicating, who our audience is, who we're trying to talk to [and] follow [Defense Department] policy, which ... is still being developed."

Name a social media site and the National Guard is there.
--
Facebook: The National Guard page that started in January had 3,000 fans as of yesterday. Users who sign up get updates on their Facebook home page.
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Twitter: @TheNatlGuard had gathered 1,489 followers through Aug. 7 since it started tweeting this spring. Followers had received 407 official tweets from the National Guard Bureau, most containing links to Guard news.

-- Flickr: The 2,216 photos posted on The National Guard page had been viewed 114,144 times through Aug. 7.

-- YouTube: The NationalGuard channel had been viewed more than 2,000 times through Aug. 7.

"I've seen people interact with the National Guard and the National Guard leadership ... in a way that they've never been able to interact with the organization before," said Rick Breitenfeldt, chief of the social media branch in the National Guard Bureau's public affairs office. "If we're not one of the voices out there, somebody's going to be there for us telling our story in a way that is inaccurate or that is maybe not the whole story. The conversation is going to be held, and if we're not involved in the conversation, we're missing the point of social media. We have to be there, where the people are."

In the months since the bureau started embracing social media, results have been immediate and measurable. First-time visits to http://www.ng.mil, the National Guard's Web site, have doubled. Public affairs officers believe much of the increase is being driven by the Guard's social media presence.

"That's a huge increase ... in a six-month period," Harrison said. "That's a quantifiable benefit. ... We have a responsibility to the American people to communicate with them, and the more people who are coming to our public Web site, [the better]."

One of the significant costs of sharing the Guard story with Guard members has been reduced while the number of Guardsmen reached has increased and the frequency of contact between Guard leaders and members has improved, Harrison said.

This was accomplished by retiring the $550,000 per year, 60,000-copy print edition of "The On Guard," the monthly official newspaper of the National Guard, and replacing it with a significantly less expensive e-mail subscription service that pushes out weekly updates and a quarterly e-magazine to 347,000 citizen-soldiers and -airmen.

The jury is still out on the Defense Department's social media policy. "The debate is about operational security and balancing the vulnerabilities of an entire network for the largest government department in the United States, versus being open and transparent and inclusive," Breitenfeldt said. "It's about risk."

Harrison said the Guard's guidance on personal involvement in social media is clear: "It's the same as our guidance would be for any sort of media activity that our Guardsmen involve themselves in," he said. "We're American citizens. We all have the right to speak and speak honestly. ... As military members, we have a responsibility to be professional."

Some wonder about a knowledge gap between people who have access to the Internet and those who don't. A December 2008 Gallup poll found that fewer than half of Americans are frequent Internet users. But the end of the print edition of "The On Guard" was marked by deafening silence.

"Many people said when we made this change, 'Wow, there's going to be a lot of people who are angry or upset that they don't have a piece of paper to look at every month,'" Harrison said. "I've not received one phone call, one e-mail, one letter. Nothing."

When necessary, the GovDelivery Web-based software system helps the Guard contact its membership almost instantly, as happened after an Army National Guard laptop was stolen, potentially compromising 131,000 people's personal data late last month.

"The speed at which we can communicate with Guard members is light-years ahead of where it was a year ago," Harrison said.

But social media and electronic delivery are about more than reduced costs and increased contacts. The very nature of the interaction has changed. The defining characteristic of Web 2.0 is that it's interactive.

"Web 2.0 is choosing the information that you want, when you want it, how you want to see it," Breitenfeldt said. "We're trying to be part of that environment. I don't see us going back. The public is going to demand this type of transparency and this type of interactiveness. ... Gone are the days where the public isn't involved in the conversation."

The Internet in general and social media in particular have removed a filter from between the public and public servants such as National Guard members.

Twenty years ago, an institution such as the Guard had to make a compelling case to get its story out to a limited range of traditional media operating within a much slower news cycle. The Guard had little or no control over the form a story took.

Today, the Guard and every other social institution in every sector can speak directly to the public – and the public can answer directly back.

"It used to be one-way," Breitenfeldt said. "We would push out press releases. We would push out talking points. We would push out information. Now we are asking for input. It's a two-way street [now]."

Twenty years ago, the traditional media told the public what news was. Now, the public decides what it considers news by interest measured in clicks, tweets, re-tweets, social bookmarks and the like.

"It's a revolution and an evolution in communication – social media is just part of it," Harrison said. "I don't think it's just a news revolution. ... It's just another step in the evolutionary process of communicating. We have a responsibility to the American people -- to the taxpayer who provides the funding for us to be the National Guard -- to let them know what we're doing with their money. These tools ... are helping us do exactly that."

Some National Guard Bureau officials believe social media's true worth will shine during the next major natural or manmade disaster.

"Social media has an immediate impact," Breitenfeldt said. "North Dakota used Facebook and Twitter during the floods this spring, and they were putting out real-time, accurate, lifesaving information that was being picked up by not only the citizens, ... but also by media outlets."

Twitter was heavily used in 2008 during events such as August's Hurricane Gustav, October's earthquake in Pakistan and November's terrorist attacks in Mumbai, India, according to Mashable.com, the social media guide.

"I really see the value in these sites for our first hurricane of the season, or for the first time the Guard gets called out [domestically] in a large number," Breitenfeldt said. "People are going to be looking to ... social media sites for immediate, accurate and reliable information. We're in a position now where we can do that."

(Army Staff Sgt. Jim Greenhill serves with the National Guard Bureau's public affairs office.)

Convention Showcases Unmanned Capabilities

By Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden
American Forces Press Service

Aug. 12, 2009 - Senior defense officials are getting a glimpse this week of the latest in unmanned systems technologies, which many concede is the way of the future for the U.S. military. More than 5,000 people from 30 countries took part in the world's largest exhibition of robots and unmanned systems capabilities at the Association for Unmanned Vehicle Systems International's Unmanned Systems North America 2009 Convention, which began Aug. 9 and ends tomorrow at the Washington Convention Center here. More than 320 unmanned aerial, maritime and ground systems were on display, offering the industries' latest products and innovations.

Maj. Gen. Blair E. Hansen, the Air Force's deputy chief of staff for intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance, addressed an audience of unmanned systems developers and industry professionals yesterday and applauded their innovations and overall contributions to improving the military's unmanned systems capabilities.

"That's the direction we're heading," Hansen said. "It's not a love affair with the platform of being unmanned. It's the capability it represents."

Hansen said he's staggered by the advancements and rapid developments of such systems. He added that he shares Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates' enthusiasm and desire for more unmanned capabilities, citing the need to embrace today's technology to be a successful military.

Information- and technology-based warfare "is not going to be just a component of irregular warfare," Hansen said. "This is going to be a component of all of the kinds of engagements and operations we'll have in the future," he explained.

Gates has maintained publicly for more than a year that unmanned systems are more cost-effective and efficient than manned systems. Unmanned systems also lessen the risk of casualties among warfighters.

Aerial surveillance and intelligence-gathering capabilities from unmanned aerial systems -- such as the Predator, Shadow and Reaper -- give the military more options with their troops. Rather than risking the lives of pilots flying multi-million-dollar reconnaissance planes, operators control and monitor the unmanned aircraft and their data remotely from safe locations. Operators in the United States, in some cases, can monitor missions in Iraq and Afghanistan without having to go to the combat theater, Hansen explained. Unmanned systems can project power in combat without projecting vulnerabilities, he added.

The Defense Department has nearly 2,000 "small" unmanned aerial syatems deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan, defense officials reported. Most of those are Ravens, which the Air Force uses to support Army and Marine Corps ground forces.

In April, Gates cited unmanned aerial systems as an increasing part of the Air Force arsenal, as he recommended that Congress halt production of the F-22 Raptor fighter jet and devote more funding to unmanned systems. The secretary compared the F-16 Fighting Falcon and the Reaper unmanned system, noting that the Reaper has a range of about 3,000 miles and can carry 1.5 tons of weapons – all unmanned and remotely – while the manned F-16 fighter has a range of about 500 miles.

This fiscal year, the Air Force has spent more money on unmanned aerial systems and trained more operators than fighter jets and fighter pilots, Hansen said. Demand for unmanned systems by the U.S. military has increased more than 660 percent since 2004, he added.

The ability to sneak in and operate for long periods of time without risking aviators is incredible, the general said. He referenced a recent mission in which a Global Hawk unmanned system flew for 33 straight hours conducting reconnaissance operations for ground commanders in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Unmanned aerial systems, he added, can take off from the Middle East, go to Iraq and Afghanistan, and conduct missions for both theaters, the general said. "That's phenomenal," he added.

Hansen said that although unmanned systems give the military the ability to decrease its footprint in direct combat, they still require manpower. He explained that operators fly the systems, while analysts in separate locations across the globe are recording intelligence from imagery and audio in real time.

"We don't need to have all of our capabilities forward," he said. "This is a very, very compelling capability. As we look to the future, we've got to keep our focus on capabilities, and keep in mind that it's critically important to have systems working together.

"[Unmanned aerial systems] will cause missions to be effective and lives to be saved," he added. "We believe strongly that as we build out these capabilities, it's not just about improvements. It's truly about an integration to perfect and get the job done and support the mission."

Managed Internet Security Subscriptions: Wave of the Future? (Part 4 of 7)

Think about this: You had problems with your computer in the past. Now you want to insure that those little annoying nuisance, pests, threats, and risks from hackers and spyware don't hide in your computer any more. So, you load up your computer with all the free and off-the-shelf security software you can find. Now, as your confidence rises, you think that your computer is as impenetrable as the gold at Fort Knox.

Wrong!!!! You have been fooled into thinking that your computer is fully protected.

Now think about this: With all the options available to you, how do you know which one offers the best protection for you, your family, or your business? Here are some questions you need to consider:

• Are you a trained computer and Internet security expert?
  
  
• Do you know exactly which security software is compatible with your system?
  
  
• Do you have the time to continually research all the latest security technologies?
  
  
• Do you know exactly which software you should install and which ones should not?
  
  
• Once installed, how do you keep the different software programs updated? In fact, how often are they updated: daily? weekly? biweekly? monthly? Are the updates free. And if so, for how long?
  
  
• If you encountered a problem that your installed security software could not fix, or you simply had a question, would you have access to free, live technical support?
  
  
• If not, what would it cost you? Would it be a one-time fee? Would it come with a warranty period? And what would it cost you when the warranty expires?

By now, I'm hoping that you're beginning to see why it is not enough any longer to install off-the-shelf security software. There is a better option! You need a revolutionary full security service package that gives you peace of mind because its software programs work together, its technical support is always live and free, and its comprehensive personal identity theft insurance comes with a recovery service at no additional cost.

Remember: When you say "No!" to hackers and spyware, everyone wins! When you don't, we all lose!

© MMIX, Etienne A. Gibbs, MSW, Internet Safety Advocate and Educator

About the Author:

Etienne A. Gibbs, Internet Security Advocate and Educator, consults with individuals, small business owners, and home-business entrepreneurs regarding online protection against spyware, viruses, hackers, and other pc-disabling cybercrimes. To obtain more information and receive a free evaluation, visit him at www.SayNotoHackersandSpyware.com.