The Insider

FOIA Follies
By John Liang
June 7, 2011 at 2:56 PM

The House late last month passed a measure attached to the fiscal year 2012 defense authorization bill that would significantly narrow the reach of an amendment the Defense Department had sought to exempt critical infrastructure information from disclosure requirements under the Freedom of Information Act, Defense Environment Alert reports this morning:

DOD sought the exemption following its failure to persuade the Supreme Court to use a personnel rules exemption in FOIA to protect weapons depot safety maps from disclosure.

Open government groups were successful in paring back what they considered to be a blanket exemption DOD had requested that they feared would have used the guise of protecting critical infrastructure information as pretext for withholding all types of data, one open government source says. Sources say the revised amendment is significantly narrower than the version DOD had sought, paring back the type of information that can be withheld and adding a balancing test for the public interest.

In its passage of the FY-12 defense authorization bill May 26, the House approved an amendment sponsored by Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY) that would exempt DOD critical infrastructure security information from FOIA disclosure requirements provided the data's disclosure would result in "the disruption, degradation, or destruction of operations, property, or facilities of the Department of Defense," the language says. For the exemption to take effect, the defense secretary would also have to determine that "the public interest consideration in the disclosure of such information does not outweigh preventing the disclosure of such information."

Further, the amendment defines DOD critical infrastructure security information, saying this term means "sensitive but unclassified information related to critical infrastructure information owned or operated by or on behalf of [DOD] that could substantially facilitate the effectiveness of an attack designed to destroy equipment, create maximum casualties, or steal particularly sensitive military weapons including information regarding the securing and safeguarding of explosives, hazardous chemicals, or pipelines." It also calls on DOD to write regulations to implement the measure.

Program Delays
By John Liang
June 6, 2011 at 4:03 PM

Inside the Navy is reporting this morning that the family of systems that will replace the canceled EPX program will include a variety of unmanned systems that are already a part of the Navy's program of record, most of which will be fielded around 2019.

In a list of responses to information dominance industry day questions dated April 5, officials listed the Broad Area Maritime Surveillance Increment 3, Medium-Range Unmanned Aerial System, Unmanned Carrier Launched Airborne Surveillance and Strike and MQ-8B FireScout drones as components in the EPX stew. Further, ITN reports:

"Fire Scout is currently deployed and expected to reach Initial Operating Capability (IOC) in the 1st quarter of [fiscal year 2012]," the document states. "The other systems have proposed IOCs in the 2019 timeframe."

However, a presentation from the Pentagon's director of operational test and evaluation posted online the same month predicts that Fire Scout will not start initial operational testing and evaluation in September as scheduled. It notes that the program has a single set of shipboard ground control station equipment, and that set is used with ships for military utility assessments.

"If [the] system is not ready for IOT&E before [the] ship sails, IOT&E is further delayed," the slide notes.

But there's more that the ITN article didn't go into. That presentation also states that "program delays are common," adding that "the reasons behind the delays are varied," and can include:

– Problems conducting the test

• Test range availability, test instrumentation problems, and test execution problems

– Performance problems in DT or OT

• System problems identified during testing that must be addressed

– Programmatic

• Funding or scheduling problems

– Manufacturing

• Manufacturing delays or quality control problems

What's in Store
By Sebastian Sprenger
June 3, 2011 at 2:04 PM

With Gen. Martin Dempsey slated to leave the Army chief of staff post for bigger things, there's suddenly a new context for his overarching vision document that was slated for publication in mid-June. As Inside the Army reports in this week's edition, a draft version of the document hits many of the themes Dempsey has propagated since he became Army chief of staff in April and from his preceding tenure at Training and Doctrine Command.

Yes, the document is but a draft. And yes, Dempsey's nominated successor, Gen. Raymond Odierno, may choose to tweak the plan (like, say, the section on "mission command") or even scrap it altogether.

But the draft document nevertheless provides an important snapshot of what the sitting chief of staff has deemed important at a juncture in time that happens to involve senior leadership transitions.

One change made "in the last couple of days" involves the document's title, an Army spokeswoman tells us. Instead of the chief's "intent" for the Army, it is now dubbed the CSA's "Thoughts on the future of the Army."

FBI Eyes Breach
By Amanda Palleschi
June 3, 2011 at 11:30 AM

The FBI is investigating the recent breach of Lockheed Martin's computer networks as a "cyber crime," while the Pentagon is playing a supporting role in analyzing the breach, according to Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Cyber Policy Robert Butler.

"As part of our [Defense Industrial Base] information sharing program, we stand ready to provide assistance, with [the Department of Homeland Security]," Butler told a forum in Washington Thursday. However, "on all cyber crime activity [the FBI] has the mantle," he said.

"The analysis on these activities, first of all is challenging," Butler said. "It's diffuse and has lots of different pieces that have got to be put together." Lockheed Martin said last week that it suffered a computer network attack on May 21. A Defense Department spokeswoman said the "impact to DOD was minimal" and that the department "did not expect any adverse effect" as a result of the breach.

Confirmation Hearing
By John Liang
June 2, 2011 at 9:17 PM

The Senate Armed Services Committee just announced it plans to hold a hearing on June 9 regarding Leon Panetta's nomination to replace Robert Gates as defense secretary.

Two sessions will be held -- an open one at 9:30 a.m. and a closed one at 2:30 p.m., according to the announcement.

STSS Move Complete
By John Liang
June 2, 2011 at 4:08 PM

The Space Tracking and Surveillance System program office has officially moved from Los Angeles Air Force Base, CA, to the Missile Defense Integration and Operations Center in Colorado Springs, according to a June 1 Missile Defense Agency statement.

The transfer ceremony took place on May 25, "which also highlighted the renaming of the Missile Defense Space Experimentation Center to the Space Development Center," the MDA statement reads. Further:

The ceremony opened with remarks by Dr. James E. Armstrong, MDA CIO and Deputy Director of the MDIOC, who recognized this milestone, the latest in a long history of MDA integration at the MDIOC. "We are excited about the movement of MDA's STSS Program Office to this facility, and we will do our best to ensure they are successful," Armstrong said.

The presiding officer of the ceremony, Mr. Rich Ritter, Program Executive for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), also recognized the importance of this transition. Referring to the ceremony as a "graduation" of sorts, he stated the move would increase the number of demonstrations and tests. He further highlighted the growing importance of space assets to missile defense.

The outgoing STSS leader, Colonel Select Matthew P. Murdough, commented on his years with the program, thanking his staff and wishing the new leadership good luck before taking part in the traditional flag transfer ceremony. After the symbolic passing of the unit flag from outgoing to incoming leader, Dennis Miller, the MDSDC Director expressed his thanks. "The journey is not finished," he said. "We look forward to the next steps of the program."

The ceremony concluded with Mr. Ritter unveiling the new name and logo for the Missile Defense Space Development Center. The MDSDC, led by Dennis Miller, is now responsible for operational control of the STSS Demonstrator satellites and the Near Field Infrared Experiment Satellite.

STSS is a key component in MDA's development of a space-based sensor layer to detect missile launches, provide continuous target tracking, and pass track data to missile interceptors with the accuracy and timeliness necessary to enable successful target interception. The seamless administrative transfer will not affect current satellite operations.

Shyu In
By Tony Bertuca
June 2, 2011 at 3:22 PM

The Army's outgoing acquisition executive, Malcolm O'Neill, who recently, announced his retirement for "personal reasons," will be replaced on an interim basis tomorrow by his principal deputy, Heidi Shyu, according to an Army spokesman.

As principal deputy, Shyu is responsible for research and technology for the assistant secretary of the Army for acquisition, logistics and technology, according to her biography on ASAALT's website.

Prior to her current position, Shyu served as vice president of technology strategy for Raytheon’s Space and Airborne Systems. While at Raytheon, she also worked as senior director of unmanned combat vehicles, senior director for the Joint Strike Fighter and director of JSF Integrated Radar/Electronic Warfare Sensors, among other leadership positions, her bio sates.

Shyu was a member of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 2000 to 2010, and served on the Defense Science Board between 2005 and 2008.

Shyu received a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of New Brunswick, a master’s degree in mathematics from the University of Toronto, and a second master’s degree in electrical engineering from UCLA, according to her bio page. Shyu has also received an engineering degree from UCLA, according to her bio page.

Oshkosh Loss
By Tony Bertuca
June 1, 2011 at 5:40 PM

The president of Oshkosh Defense, Richard “Andy” Hove, is stepping down today to pursue other business opportunities, according to a statement from the Wisconsin-based company.

“R. Andrew (Andy) Hove, Oshkosh Corporation executive vice president and president of the defense segment, is leaving the company to seek other business opportunities,” according to Oshkosh. “The company thanks Andy for his efforts leading the Oshkosh Defense segment, and wishes him success in his future pursuits”

Charlie Szews, the president and chief executive officer at Oshkosh, will be leading the company's defense segment until a successor is named “following an executive search,” the announcement states.

Oshkosh is a leading supplier of tactical wheeled vehicles to the military and has contracts for the Mine Resistant Ambush Protected All-Terrain Vehicle as well as the Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles.

Nuke Numbers
By John Liang
June 1, 2011 at 4:30 PM

The State Department this morning released a fact sheet listing the United States' and Russia's aggregate number of nuclear weapons as well as intercontinental and submarine-launched ballistic missiles, as required under the follow-on Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

Those numbers are:

Category of Data                                                                USA                               Russia

 

Deployed ICBMs, Deployed SLBMs,                                 882                                521

and Deployed Heavy Bombers

 

Warheads on Deployed ICBMs,                                         1800                                1537

on Deployed SLBMs,

and Nuclear Warheads Counted for

Deployed Heavy Bombers

 

Deployed and Non-deployed Launchers                             1124                               865

of ICBMs, Deployed and Non-deployed

Launchers of SLBMs, and Deployed and

Non-deployed Heavy Bombers

The department also notes:

Data in this Fact Sheet comes from the initial exchange of data required by the Treaty no later than 45 days after entry into force of the Treaty, or March 22, 2011. It contains data declared current as of the February 5, 2011, date of entry into force of the Treaty. Data will be updated each six month period after entry into force of the Treaty.

Disjointed
By John Liang
June 1, 2011 at 3:13 PM

With every passing week, pieces of soon-to-be-defunct U.S. Joint Forces Command are peeled off and folded into other parts of the Defense Department. Today it was JFCOM's Joint Capability Development Directorate (J8), which is moving over to the Joint Staff and becoming the "Deputy Director for Command and Control, Communications and Computers (DDC4)," according to a command statement. Further:

The DDC4 is responsible for overseeing the Command, Control, Communications and Computer Systems (C4)/Cyber Functional Capabilities Board (FCB), overseeing assessments and evaluation efforts to facilitate and integrate C4 initiatives, advising the chairman and director on C4 capability development and integration, and supporting the integration of approved C4 capability needs across DoD decision support processes.

"The DDC4 will continue to identify short-and long-term joint, multinational and interagency capability gaps and work with other combatant commands, the services, coalition partners and agencies to provide integrated capabilities," said Stuart Whitehead, acting deputy director for command and control, communications and computers (DDC4).

The DDC4 is comprised of three assistant deputy directorates to include C4/Cyber FCB, Net-Centric and Command and Control. The DDC4 is distributed between the Pentagon, Norfolk and Suffolk Va. and Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

Board Certified
By Dan Dupont
May 31, 2011 at 4:06 PM

The Defense Science Board is at work on a slate of new and interesting studies, on "resilient" military systems and cybersecurity and reliability in the cloud. We've got the terms of reference memos below.

DSB head Paul Kaminski talked about the two efforts a few months ago. From our story:

Kaminski told reporters . . . that the move to the cloud comes with "a lot of pluses, probably some cons that we need to understand as we go into this." He said the government believes that moving toward cloud computing will help create a better security environment while reducing costs.

The Obama administration cited a shift to a cloud-first policy as one of the major tenets in its proposed reform of IT management. In a Dec. 9 implementation plan, the federal chief information officer directed all agencies, including the Defense Department, to identify within three months of the mandate three services it "must move" to the cloud. One of those services must be moved to the cloud within a year, and the remaining two have to be shifted over within 18 months. The federal CIO also plans to publish a strategy to "accelerate the safe and secure adoption of cloud computing across the government" by the summer, according to the implementation plan.

The second task force, Kaminski said, will ask "Can we begin to define some meaningful metrics associated with the resilience of performing our mission, which is dependent upon our supporting IT systems?" The goal behind the study is is to assess ways to measure resilience and to come up with "output metrics."

In an interview with Inside the Pentagon following the breakfast, Kaminski said output metrics include the quality of work being produced and the reliability of a product.

Today, he said, the military lacks such metrics. "I come to you and say, 'Man, I got a whole bunch of tools that are going to improve your cybersecurity, and it's only going to cost you $300 million,'" Kaminski said, as an example. "You ask me, 'Well, how do I know it's going to be better?' And I say, 'Trust me.'"

Better metrics, he added, will benefit military test and evaluation teams, among others in the Pentagon. "Different missions are going to require perhaps some different measures of resilience," Kaminski said. "In fact, resiliency in accomplishing the mission in the end -- that you want to get some handle on."

The documents:

DSB Terms Of Reference Memo On 'Resilient Military Systems'

In a May 19, 2011, memo, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn calls for the establishment of a Defense Science Board task force "to assess issues affecting the resiliency of military systems that rely on information and communication technology."

DSB Terms Of Reference Memo On 'Cybersecurity And Reliability In A Digital Cloud'

In a May 19, 2011, memo, Deputy Defense Secretary William Lynn calls for the establishment of a Defense Science Board task force "to evaluate all aspects of providing reliable, secure and responsive services for military and intelligence applications using these technologies."

Radioactive Offset
By Jason Sherman
May 27, 2011 at 7:46 PM

The Airborne and Maritime/Fixed Station Joint Tactical Radio System -- a $9 billion program to modernize aircraft and ship communication suites -- will be footing the bill to boost funding for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board.

As part of the fiscal year 2012 National Defense Authorization Bill, the House yesterday approved an amendment to pump an additional $2.5 million into the nuclear safety panel that would pay for the hike by a corresponding cut to the AMF JTRS program, a decrement proposed a month after the Pentagon disclosed a 14-month program delay.

Proposed by Rep. Loretta Sanchez (D-CA) and adopted by a voice vote as part of a block of amendments, the provision would boost funding for the Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board. In a statement, Sanchez described the panel as “an independent federal agency that ensures the readiness of the United States nuclear arsenal and provides safety oversight to the [Energy Department-operated] nuclear weapons complex.”

Language List
By John Liang
May 27, 2011 at 3:28 PM

The Navy recently issued its "Strategic Language List," according to a service memo. The list's intent "is to inform the Navy total force of [the] Navy's foreign language requirements. The list is used to shape foreign language capability and capacity in the force, prioritize development of related training, and facilitate administration of [the] Navy's Foreign Language Proficiency Bonus (FLPB) Program," the missive states.

The memo, obtained by the publicintelligence.net website, divides the Navy's language requirements into three categories: immediate, emerging and enduring languages. The top two:

(FOUO) IMMEDIATE LANGUAGES

Arabic – Iraqi (QAI)
Arabic – Yemeni (AU/QAY)
Baluchi (BT/BAL)
Pashto-Afghan (Pushtu) (PV/PBT)
Persian-Afghan (Dari) (PG/PRS)
Persian-Iranian (Farsi) (PF/PES)
Somali (SM/SOM)
Swahili (SW/SWA)
Urdu (UR/URD)

(FOUO) EMERGING LANGUAGES

Amharic (AC/AMH)
Arabic – Sudanese (AV/APD)
Armenian (AR/HYE)
Azerbaijani (AX/AZE)
Bambara (BA/BAM)
Bengali (BN/BEN)
Divehi (DV/DIV)
Fulani (FV/FUL)
Gujarati (GW/GUJ)
Hindi (HJ/HIN)
Kazakh (KE/KAZ)
Krio (KW/KRI)
Lingala (LJ/LIN)
Madurese (MD/MAD)
Marathi (MR/MAR)
Nepalese (NE/NEP)
Punjabi (PJ/PAN)
Sindhi (SD/SND)
Singhalese (SJ/SIN)
Tadjik (TB/TGK)
Tamazight (TZM)
Tamil (TC/TAM)
Telugu (TE/TEL)
Tigrinya (TL/TIR)
Uighur (UJ/UIG)
Ukrainian (UK/UKR)
Uzbek (UX/UZB)
Wolof (WQ/WOL)

Congress in the past has tried to tinker with how the Pentagon conducts its language training programs. In 2009, House authorizers included language in the fiscal year 2010 defense bill that directed the Defense Department to carry out a pilot program to establish and evaluate language training centers for the military, including members of the reserve component and the Reserve officers' training corps and civilian employees, Inside the Pentagon reported in September of that year:

The legislation would require the establishment of at least three language training centers at accredited universities, senior military colleges or other similar institutions of higher education, not later than October 1, 2010. The bill calls on Defense Secretary Robert Gates to submit a report to the congressional defense committees not later than December 31, 2015, evaluating the pilot program. The Senate has no corresponding provision.

The Pentagon, though, resisted that effort, arguing the effort would siphon money from higher-priority defense language programs. As ITP reported at the time:

In a Sept. 4 appeal to Congress, the department opposes the House provision because it would require "the expenditure of already limited resources," including funding and personnel for oversight and management, "to the detriment of higher priority defense language programs."

The provision does not allocate any funding to establish the pilot program and language training center, the appeal complains. This lack of additional resourcing would "negatively impact" existing defense language program resources, DOD argues. It would be similar to the pilot program for foreign language proficiency training for reserve members mandated by the FY-09 National Defense Authorization Act that DOD funded through other programs, adds the Pentagon.

"Additionally, program management and oversight are also major considerations, because experiences in our Language Flagship and Grant programs demonstrate that the department would have to outsource and/or create new positions to provide the required management and oversight of this new pilot program," argues the appeal.

It's Official
By Christopher J. Castelli
May 27, 2011 at 3:09 PM

Late yesterday, a month after President Obama announced his intentions, the White House sent the Senate the nominations for Leon Panetta to replace Robert Gates as defense secretary and Gen. David Petraeus to replace Panetta as head of the CIA. The Senate Armed Services Committee is expected to schedule a confirmation hearing for Panetta in the near future, paving the way for prompt Senate confirmation. Panetta is slated to take over at the Pentagon immediately after Gates retires June 30. Petraeus, who is also subject to Senate confirmation, would retire from the military and lead the CIA as a civilian, starting the job by September, according to the administration.

Bill Passed
By John Liang
May 26, 2011 at 6:42 PM

The full House just approved the fiscal year 2012 defense authorization bill by a 322-96 vote.

House Armed Services Committee Chairman Buck McKeon later released a statement on the bill:

This year's defense authorization bill meets the national security needs of a nation at war while preparing our warfighters for the threats of tomorrow. With the tough fiscal times facing our country, the bill treats every taxpayer dollar as precious. Sound fiscal stewardship is essential to protecting our national security. We address the breathtaking size and scope of our national security challenges by providing for the common defense in an efficient, fiscally responsible manner.

This bill mandates fiscal responsibility within the Department of Defense. It cuts wasteful programs and redirects those savings to higher priorities. The bill makes timely and necessary investments in military equipment and weapons systems.  As we work to ensure America’s strength endures in the 21st century, the bill seriously examines emerging threats from China, North Korea, Iran and in cyberspace.

Most importantly to me, this bill reflects the best efforts of the Armed Services Committee and the whole House to honor the service of our military personnel, veterans and their families. Accordingly, the bill boosts military pay and protects TRICARE from steep increases in the future.

This bill would not have been possible without the dedication and professionalism of my friend, Ranking Member Adam Smith. I also want to thank our subcommittee chairmen, all the members of the Committee and the staff for their tireless efforts on behalf of the men and women of our armed services.