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Ask Lt. Col. John Bircher About Cyber Warfare Concepts
Posted by
timothy
on Thu Jun 12, 2008 01:20 PM
from the please-include-your-gps-coordinates dept.
from the please-include-your-gps-coordinates dept.
The Air Force is not the only U.S. military branch trying to come to grips with the electronic side of warfare, both current and future. The U.S. Army Computer Network Operations (CNO)-Electronic Warfare (EW) Proponent (USACEWP), located at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas — home to the U.S. Army's Combined Arms Center — serves as the Army's hub for cyber-electronic concepts and capabilities. This is the organization responsible for developing doctrine, materiel and training to prepare the Army for cyber-electronic engagements. For example, USACEWP has developed training teams to ensure that U.S. commanders and soldiers around the world are fully informed of cyber-electronic capabilities at their disposal. Leading the Proponent's Futures branch is Lt. Col John "Chip" Bircher; Bircher entered the Army in 1989 as an Infantry officer, then served in various command and staff positions, most recently Information Operations (IO). He was the IO Chief for the 25th Infantry Division (Light), Hawaii, and Director of IO for Combined Joint Task Force -76, Bagram, Afghanistan. If you want to know more about the realities and challenges that face an armed, global IT department in a time when electronic warfare is ever more important and dangerous, now's your chance to ask Lt. Col. Bircher some questions. We'll pass on the highest-moderated questions for Lt. Col. Bircher to answer. Usual Slashdot interview rules apply.
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Lt. Col. John Bircher Answers Your Questions 232 comments
A few weeks ago, you asked questions of Lt. Col. John Bircher, head of an organization with a difficult-to-navigate name: the U.S. Army Computer Network Operations (CNO)-Electronic Warfare (EW) Proponent's Futures Branch. Lt. Col. Bircher has answered from his perspective, at length, not just the usual 10 questions, but several more besides. Read on for his take on cyberwar, jurisdiction, ethics, and more.
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John Bircher? (Score:5, Funny)
Re:John Bircher? (Score:5, Funny)
Parent
Technique? (Score:5, Interesting)
Legal Ramifications (Score:5, Interesting)
Why so many directly connected networks at all? (Score:5, Interesting)
Why aren't there more isolated networks that would require physical contact or interception to get to in the first place? Do sensitive systems really need any connection at all to the conventional internet in the first place?
I know that many places in the DoD do take this approach (people having one computer for safe email and browsing, and a completely different computer for sensitive intel), and certainly it's more expensive and less convenient. But when the internet is basically just a big pathway leading directly to your backdoor, why take any chance at all, ever?
What is that? (Score:5, Interesting)
Include examples.
Compare/contrast with traditional forms of intelligence gathering (wiretaps, listening devices, etc) and their counter-measures.
Interview Question (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Interview Question (Score:5, Insightful)
You made a typo there. Here's a correction:
With the political tilt as it is, a large part of the software development community is likely inclined against helping politicians use the Army as a tool to fight wars which harm our country.
Parent
Hacker war... (Score:5, Interesting)
And if and if ... (Score:5, Interesting)
Example: the NSA has worked on SELinux.
Parent
For us geeks who'd be sitting behind a computer .. (Score:5, Funny)
If so, would basic training be to train us to stay up all night, living on pizza, soda, Skittles, and porn?
If so, where do I sign up?!?
Re:For us geeks who'd be sitting behind a computer (Score:5, Insightful)
Parent
Relationship with the Air Force? (Score:5, Interesting)
Since the Air Force is the U.S. military branch claiming dominance in "cyberspace" (along with air and space), how do you view the Army's relationship with the Air Force in "cyberspace"? Will the Army seek to take over all of the "cyberspace warfare", carve out its own niche in cyberspace, or peacefully coexist with the Air Force?
With respect to leadership in this area across the DoD, do you feel that the Air Force being denied the program executive role for all DoD UAV endeavors represents an opportunity for the Army increase its role with respect to UAVs (as many people see cyberspace and UAVs to be inextricably linked)?
Attacks... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Attacks... (Score:5, Funny)
Can you imagine what might have happened, if you had not so qualified your question? He might have let the cat out of the bag!
Personally, I would have phrased it this way: "Please tell us everything you're up to. (It's ok. We're cool.)"
Parent
China (Score:5, Interesting)
Recruitment (Score:5, Interesting)
What limitations do you observe? (Score:5, Interesting)
Why does the Army have a love affair with Windows (Score:5, Interesting)
Jurisdiction? (Score:5, Interesting)
Avoiding Redundancy or is it Necessary? (Score:5, Interesting)
Timing and relevancy (Score:5, Interesting)
Can you explain what seems to be the US Military arriving at the game in the third inning?
Having had TSEC and observed security processes and procedures, such as tempest precautions some time ago, I'm having trouble understanding why the 'cyber defenses' of the US Military only now seem to be actually realized.
Is the delay due to funding? Priorities? or simply to underestimation of what the rest of the world was up to all this time?
Please be as specific as you are able to be.
Thank you.
Are you running botnets? (Score:5, Interesting)
Threat Assessment (Score:5, Interesting)
How do you perform a threat assessment in the area of cyber-warfare where the physical weapons (as was pointed out in an earlier post) is the keyboard and mouse with much of technology being used as a threat being developed in the U.S?
Thanx,
myke
"Civilian contractors" (Score:5, Interesting)