Cyber Brief: Cyber Vulnerabilities in US Weapon Systems

The United States Government Accountability Office has issued a report finding that the Department of Defense’s early adoption of computers and information technology but late prioritization of information security has resulted in cyber-vulnerabilities in weapon systems. Today’s brief includes the GAO report along with a series of documents demonstrating how the accelerated adoption of network technology by the US Military (under the concept of Network Centric Operations) coincided with, but did not incorporate, hard lessons learned about network and information security.

 

The documents

United States Government Accountability Office, “Weapon Systems Cybersecurity: DOD Just Beginning to Grapple with Scale of Vulnerabilities”, October 2018. Unclassified.

Source: GAO

Joint Chiefs of Staff, “Eligible Receiver 97 After Action Review”, June 1997. Declassified.

Joint Chiefs of Staff, "Observation Reports Submitted by MajGen Byron, USMC" (Eligible Receiver 97), June 1997. Secret.

K.M. Gode, To Director Freeh, Re: SOLAR SUNRISE, CITA Matter; OO: HQ, February 25, 1998. Unclassified/For Official Use Only.

Strategic Assessment Center, “Information Warfare Strategies Seminar I: The Uses of IW Against the US in Wartime”, September 1998. Unclassified.

Source: DOD FOIA

Federal Bureau of Investigation, "MOONLIGHT MAZE," April 15, 1999. Secret/Noforn.

Michael V. Hayden, Director, National Security Agency, "Message from the Director re: Major Systems Failure," January 31, 2000. Top Secret/Comint.

John Garstka, Asst Director for Concepts and Operations, Office of Force Transformation, Office of the Secretary of Defense, “An Introduction to Network Centric Operations: Presentations to NCO Short Course”, July 13 2004. Unclassified.

Source: DTIC

Clay Wilson, Congressional Research Service, “Network Centric Operations: Background and Oversight Issues for Congress”, Updated March 15 2007. Unclassified.

Source: DTIC

Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, “Joint Battle Command – Platform (JBC-P): Multi-Service Operational Test and Evaluation Report”, January 2015. Unclassified.

Source: DOD FOIA Reading Room

Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, “Nett Warrior – Initial Operational Test and Evaluation Report”, May 2015. Unclassified.

Source: DOD FOIA Reading Room

Director of Operational Test and Evaluation, “Warfighter Information Network – Tactical (WIN-T) Increment 2: Second Follow-On Operational Test and Evaluation”, May 2015. Unclassified.

Source: DOD FOIA Reading Room