Forwarded from: William Knowles <wk@c4i.org>
http://www.fcw.com/article94954-06-19-06-Web
By Josh Rogin
June 19, 2006
Information sharing and protection is a crucial front in the war on
terrorism. Consequently, the Strategic Command (Stratcom) is leading
Defense Department efforts to create a virtual environment, including
nonstop virtual meetings and blogging so warfighters can disseminate
information across locations, commands and rank securely and in real
time.
Lt. Gen. Robert Kehler, deputy commander of Stratcom, explained these
efforts in a keynote speech at AFCEA International's TechNet
International 2006 conference today in Washington, D.C.
"Unfortunately for us, cyberterrorism is cheap, and it's fast," Kehler
said. "Today's terrorist moves at the speed of information."
Cyberterrorism is anonymous and far-reaching. Government, corporate,
personal, public works and airline computers are all attractive
targets that cyberterrorists could attack remotely.
To that end, Stratcom's top priority is to speed the transformation of
DOD into a network-centric force in which all commands are
interconnected and secured. "Information sharing is a strategic
advantage," Kehler said.
"Achieving the full potential of net-centricity requires viewing
information as an enterprise to be shared and as weapons system to be
protected," the 2006 Quadrennial Defense Review states.
Stratcom is also the lead operator of the Global Information Grid,
which aggregates all interconnected and secure DOD information
systems. The command seeks to implement 24-hour, real-time
communications from generals to warfighters while protecting those
communications from adversaries.
The latest innovation is Strategic Knowledge Integration, known as
SKI-web. Part of Stratcom's classified network, SKI-web functions as a
never-ending virtual operation and intelligence meeting. "It is the
key tool that the senior leadership uses to stay abreast of events
unfolding throughout the command and the world, in real time," Kehler
said.
Blogging is one of the ways SKI-web allows users to contribute to
discussions. Every command member, regardless of rank, can blog on
issues that affect them, eliminating the vetting process of command
bureaucracy. "We have a command chain at Stratcom, not an information
chain," Kehler said. All command levels receive information at the
same time, creating an "infosphere" inside which command is exercised,
he said.
Changing the culture of information sharing is the most difficult step
toward using technology to better distribute and protect information,
Kehler said. "The first step in sharing information is the realization
that you must, can and will share it," he said.
*==============================================================*
"Communications without intelligence is noise; Intelligence
without communications is irrelevant." Gen Alfred. M. Gray, USMC
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