iraq

Department of Defense Issues Rules on Wireless Security: July 9, 20004

"The new Department of Defense rules on wireless security should help clear the way for the spread of these increasingly popular communications technologies throughout the military, analysts say. But the rules and the process by which they were developed also reflect the continuing uncertainty and diversity of opinion within the military over the safety of wireless systems. The department in April released a policy (DOD 8100.2) that requires end-to-end use of data encryption on wireless systems and lays out the responsibilities of a number of different defense agencies in protecting against unauthorized intrusions. The policy, issued by Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz, covers cell phones, Wi-Fi-enabled laptop computers, personal digital assistants and a variety of other devices that are becoming as ubiquitous in military circles as they are in the world of business. Global Positioning System units, receive-only pagers and certain medical devices are not covered under the policy."
[Harrison Donnelly: "Spelling Out Wireless Security" in Military Information Technology—via Textually.org]

Trace Gunsch: "The Wireless Road Ahead": July 9, 2004

"Warfighters need to understand the changes brought about by wireless technology and begin to adapt doctrine and procedures to make the best use of these capabilities. [...] The age of the personal computer is rapidly being replaced by the age of the mobile device. From cell phones and personal digital assistants to Internet cafes and highway traffic systems, wireless systems are changing the interactions of our society. [...] In the military, wireless communications are affecting all areas of our business, from logistics and training to collaboration and medical. Wireless systems have and will continue to have an impact on our military in all of these areas. Our warfighters need to understand these changes and begin to adapt doctrine and procedures to make the best use of these capabilities. [...] The growth of wireless capabilities is a given and is causing great ripples of impact to our society and our military. The military needs to deal with the changes caused by wireless technologies in three particular ways. Defense planners need to recognize the social changes that wireless brings and adapt to make the best use of them, for example by reconsidering policies and procedures that will stifle the positive use of wireless."
[Military Information Technology—via Textually.org]

Department of Defense issues directive regarding consumer wireless technologies: April 14, 2004

Xeni Jaradin reports that the Department of Defense has issued a directive regarding consumer wireless technologies and their use on the military's information grid. Quoting a Pentagon spokesman, such devices "need to be highly encrypted or off the DOD systems all together." At this time policies are at the discretion of local commanders. Jardin: "the directive tells all soldiers, contractors and visitors to Defense Department facilities that they can only carry wireless devices that conform to the military's security standards. These specify that the devices use strong authentication and encryption technologies whenever possible."
[Wired]
[Xeni Jaradin's NPR report: May 15, 2004]

Jin Hyun-joo: "Korea: Kim's Execution Video Banned": June 24, 2004

Jin Hyun-joo: "Korea: Kim's Execution Video Banned": June 24, 2004
"The government and Internet portal sites said yesterday they would take stern measures against the possible spread on the Internet of the video showing the beheading of the Korean hostage. [...] Yahoo Korea: "Considering Korean people's condolences toward the deceased, we are going to delete any pictures or video footage that show the killing of the Korean hostage...As the beheading of the hostage was not aired, it is less likely that the footage would proliferate on the Internet as it did in the Nicholas Berg case." [...] With its emergency monitoring system running for 24 hours, the Ministry of Information and Communication said it would advise Web sites to get rid of the clips as soon as they discovered them. "The Web sites that fail to follow through the instructions will be subject to shut-down or police investigation," an official at the ministry said."
[Asia Media]

South Korean Government Seeks to Ban Kim Sun-Il Execution Video: June 24, 2004

"The government and Internet portal sites said yesterday they would take stern measures against the possible spread on the Internet of the video showing the beheading of the Korean hostage. [...] Yahoo Korea: "Considering Korean people's condolences toward the deceased, we are going to delete any pictures or video footage that show the killing of the Korean hostage...As the beheading of the hostage was not aired, it is less likely that the footage would proliferate on the Internet as it did in the Nicholas Berg case." [...] With its emergency monitoring system running for 24 hours, the Ministry of Information and Communication said it would advise Web sites to get rid of the clips as soon as they discovered them. "The Web sites that fail to follow through the instructions will be subject to shut-down or police investigation," an official at the ministry said."
[Asia Media]

Senate Backs Ban on Photos of G.I. Coffins: June 21, 2004

"The Bush administration's policy of barring news photographs of the flag-covered coffins of service members killed in Iraq won the backing of the Republican-controlled Senate on Monday, when lawmakers defeated a Democratic measure to instruct the Pentagon to allow pictures. [...] "These caskets that arrive at Dover are not named; we just see them," said Mr. McCain, a former Navy pilot who was a prisoner of war for five years in Vietnam. He added, "I think we ought to know the casualties of war." But President Bush has insisted that the policy banning the photography protects the privacy of the families of the dead, a view reiterated by lawmakers who opposed the measure. Some Republicans, including Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, complained that Democrats were trying to score election-year points with the effort. [...] In March 2003, just as the United States embarked on its war with Iraq, the Pentagon issued a directive stating that there would be no news coverage of "deceased military personnel returning to or departing from" air bases."
[New York Times]