[ISN] Cyber warriors anticipate center

[InfoSec News]

Forwarded from: William Knowles <wk at c4i.org>

http://www.fcw.com/fcw/articles/2005/0221/web-jtfg-02-25-05.asp

By Frank Tiboni 
Feb. 25, 2005

Personnel in the military's new cyberdefense organization hope to 
operate a new command center by late spring.

The facility will include new hardware and software to help workers of 
the Joint Task Force-Global Network Operations (JTF-GNO) operate, 
manage and defend the military's computer networks. "It will be a 
state-of-the-art facility," said Army Brig. Gen. Dennis Via, deputy 
commander of the JTF-GNO. He spoke Feb. 23 at the Defense Department 
Global Information Grid Enterprise Services conference held by the 
Association for Enterprise Integration, an industry trade group.

Via said JTF-GNO personnel need a new command center to perform their 
global mission. He declined to discuss its cost and the companies 
doing the work.

Military officials will update the secure compartmentalized 
information facility (SKIF) of JTF-GNO's predecessor organization, the 
Joint Task Force-Computer Network Operations, Via said. A SKIF should 
ensure that people cannot eavesdrop on the voice, video and data 
monitored and transmitted there.

Work started there in December and should end in May. JTF-GNO 
employees temporarily work in the Global Network Operations and 
Security Center operated by the Defense Information Systems Agency, 
Via said.

The opening of the new command center coincides with JTF-GNO becoming 
fully operational. Task force officials also plan in May to issue 
updated guidelines for overseeing the military's networks called the 
Joint Concept of Operations, he said.

In June, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld created JTF-GNO and named 
the director of the Defense Information Systems Agency, Air Force Lt. 
Gen. Harry Raduege, to oversee it to achieve a more cohesive 
operation, management and protection of the military's networks. In 
November, DOD officials approved the Global Information Grid Network 
Operations and Defense plan that identifies four officials in the 
military services that will report to Raduege.

The task force falls under Strategic Command, one of the military's 
nine unified combatant commands that either oversee use of combat 
forces in a geographic region or provide a capability and develop 
doctrine for them. Strategic Command oversees the operation and 
protection of the military's networks and information operations to 
include psychological operations and perhaps computer network attack.

The formation of and foundation for JTF-GNO comes after task force 
officials in 2004 tabulated 74,053 incidents including attempted 
intrusions on the military's networks ... the most since DOD officials 
started publicly announcing them in 2001. They reported 40,076 
incidents in 2001, 43,086 in 2002 and 54,688 in 2003.

"The threat is becoming more aggressive and sophisticated," said Via.


 
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