Experiment at sea. The Navy last month tested software that can let the service plan and coordinate joint theater air and missile defenses. The Navy used the prototype software, called the Area Air Defense Commander module, during Fleet Battle Experiment Charlie in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. The module, developed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Md., lets a commander quickly gather data on missile and air attacks and
Experiment at sea. The
Navy last month tested software that can let the service plan and coordinate joint theater
air and missile defenses.
The Navy used the prototype software, called the Area Air Defense Commander module,
during Fleet Battle Experiment Charlie in the western Atlantic Ocean and the Caribbean
Sea. The module, developed by the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory in
Laurel, Md., lets a commander quickly gather data on missile and air attacks and assign
assets to defend a position.
"During FBE Charlie, the prototype AADC module successfully provided the joint air
defense forces commander with user-friendly, collaborative planning tools and the
capability to use a single, integrated air picture to direct theater air defense forces in
real time," said Rear Adm. Phillip Balisle, deputy director of the Navys
Surface Warfare Division.
MAN o war. The Navy has awarded a $20
million contract to support voice, video and data traffic between the services 13
major command centers in the San Diego region.
Under the five-year Metropolitan Area Network contract, SBC Communications Inc. of San
Antonio will provide a Synchronous Optical Network ring with bi-directional line switching
and an asynchronous transfer mode cell-relay system that supports legacy systems and
advanced technologies. The vendor will also build a comprehensive local exchange carrier
network that provides local service via Integrated Services Digital Network and access to
commercial and long-distance services.
Squeaky clean. The Air Force Information
Warfare Center has added Sanitizer to its assessed product list. The software, from
Stratfor Systems Inc. of Austin, Texas, eliminates unwanted data from hard drives.
In a report to all commands, AFIWC recommended Sanitizer for use throughout the Air
Force, because the product meets Defense Department and National Security Agency
requirements for residual data protection. Sanitizer "performed as advertised and is
fully functional with its stated design purposes," the report said.
Sanitizer runs off a floppy disk and can overwrite hard drives up to 999 times, making
computers safe for recycling, reuse, donation or disposal. The software also has built-in
safeguards to prevent the accidental overwriting of hard drives.
Communications BPA. The Armys
Communications-Electronics Command signed a blanket purchasing agreement worth up to $11
million with World Wide Technology Inc. of St. Louis to provide the service with computer
security equipment.
The BPA, open to all federal agencies, will provide computers, peripherals, firewalls,
software, installation, training and maintenance. Sun Microsystems Inc. and V-one Corp. of
Germantown, Md., will supply bundled boundary security devices.
Gregory Slabodkin
Internet: gslabodkin@gcn.com
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