Monday, July 12, 2010

Upgrade from UNCLAS to CONF if you have to ...

Like a reader emailed me,
This sounds great, if we could only be able to successfully navigate those websites to find the information we need then this could work. However, what about those forward deployed ships who can't even keep up with the email traffic that normally comes from a 6 month deployment. Let alone the bubbleheads, I seriously doubt that they would always have the time to sit there and try to download some of the NavAdmins via email or try and get to some website for further information when message traffic could work just as well.
What do you think?
R 061914Z JUL 10 ZUI ASN-PCC187001348 ZYB

FM COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI//N6//

TO ALCOMPAC P

INFO ZEN/COMNAVCYBERFOR VIRGINIA BEACH VA

ZEN/COMNAVNETWARCOM VIRGINIA BEACH VA

ZEN/PEO C4I SAN DIEGO CA

ZEN/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI

BT

UNCLAS

ALCOMPAC P

COMNAVCYBERFOR FOR N82. PEO C4I FOR PMW 790.

MSGID/GENADMIN/MIL-STD-6040(SERIES)/B.0.01.00

/COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI/-/-/-/-/-/-//

SUBJ/COMMAND E-MAIL (ACTION REQUIRED)//

REF/A/MSGID:GENADMIN/CNO WASHINGTON DC/-/101116ZAUG2008//

REF/B/MSGID:GENADMIN/COMNAVCYBERFOR/-/251735ZMAR2010//

REF/C/MSGID:GENADMIN/COMNAVCYBERFOR/-/181752ZJUN2010//

NARR/REF A IS CNO MSG THAT ADDRESSED FUTURE OF NAVAL MESSAGING.

REFS B AND C ARE COMNAVCYBERFOR MESSAGES THAT PROVIDED INSTRUCTIONS ON IMPLEMENTING COMMAND E-MAIL.//

POC/CARLENE [REDACTED]/CAPT, N6B/UNIT:COMPACFLT/NAME:PEARL HARBOR HI

/TEL:COM 808-471-[REDACTED]/TEL:DSN 315-471-[REDACTED]

/EMAIL:CARLENE.D.[REDACTED]@NAVY.MIL//

POC/DONALD [REDACTED]/N622/UNIT:COMPACFLT/NAME:PEARL HARBOR HI

/TEL:COM 808-474-[REDACTED]/TEL:DSN 315-474-[REDACTED]

/EMAIL:DONALD.F.[REDACTED]@NAVY.MIL//

GENTEXT/REMARKS/1. THIS IS AN UNNUMBERED ALCOMPAC P.

2. IAW REF A, NAVY WILL NO LONGER SUPPORT UNCLASSIFIED MESSAGING SYSTEMS AFTER 30 SEP 2010. NON-COMMAND AND CONTROL (C2) INFORMATION PREVIOUSLY PASSED VIA NAVAL MESSAGES WILL TRANSITION TO COMMAND E-MAIL, PORTAL SITES, WIKI/BLOGS AND OTHER AUTHORIZED WEB 2.0 TECHNOLOGIES. REFS B AND C PROVIDED GUIDANCE FOR IMPLEMENTING COMMAND E-MAIL, AND DIRECTED THAT IT BE COMPLETED BY 30 SEP 2010. INSTRUCTIONS FOR REGISTERING FOR COMMAND E-MAIL ARE PROVIDED AT HTTPS://WWW.PORTAL.NAVY.MIL/OIX/DEFAULT.ASPX

3. (ACTION) ALL COMPACFLT COMMANDS RECEIVING NETWORK SERVICES FROM NMCI, IT-21 AND EXCEPTED LEGACY NETWORKS ARE DIRECTED TO COMMENCE COMMAND E-MAIL REGISTRATION IMMEDIATELY. ONE-NET COMMANDS ARE ON HOLD UNTIL REQUIRED ACTIVE DIRECTORY CHANGES ARE COMPLETED.

A. FOR NUMBERED FLEETS: REQUEST COMPLETE REGISTRATION NLT 27 AUG 2010, AND REPORT COMPLETION BY E-MAIL TO CPF POC MR. [REDACTED].

B. FOR TYCOMS: REQUEST TASK SUBORDINATE COMMANDS RECEIVING NETWORK SERVICES FROM NMCI, IT-21, AND EXCEPTED LEGACY NETWORKS TO COMPLETE REGISTRATION AND REPORT COMPLETION/STATUS TO DESIGNATED COMMAND POC NLT 27 AUG 2010. SUBMIT RESULTS FOR YOUR COMMAND AND SUBORDINATES IN A SPREAD SHEET TO CPF ACTION OFFICER NLT 31 AUG 2010.//

BT
Interesting to wargame this when you are at sea and have lost all your satellite connectivity for a few months ... cyberwar and all ....

33 comments:

  1. My Signalman buddy would say, "Nine dots and a dash".

    ReplyDelete
  2. CoRev07:12

    Phib, I jus don unnerstan da prob.  Mount a Sat receiva on da mail buoy, when da ship tie up download in burst mode.  Yup!  Thadda doit.

    Gotta go back to wurk at <span>COMPACFLT PEARL HARBOR HI</span>
    <span>
    </span>

    ReplyDelete
  3. Steeljaw07:47

    Just like cooking a frog -- we're in a nice, comfortable pan of water unaware the heat is slowly, inexorably being turned up...
    w/r, SJS

    ReplyDelete
  4. SWOINATOR07:53

    Does this mean they are killing the ability to send UNCLAS? Or just a temp hold forcing the admin to other bands, which would make sense.  Of course, that would be the opposite of thing to do.  Of course, this wouldn't be needed if there were not so many needless messages like ones on diversity, ALCOMPAC's, NAVADMINs, etc etc etc.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anathema07:54

    Ah...but with current systems it doesn't matter if it's UNCLAS message traffic, CLAS message traffic, or email...it all flows through the same pipe to the same dish and gets shuffled around from there.  So, while from the outside things might look different, the reality is that there's not much changing.  So long as the individual commands get the whole email address thingy right.

    And, those systems have been in place for years.  When a ship loses conectivity - either at the pier or underway - it's very, very painful.  Given the criticality of communication in today's world, it's a shame that there isn't a reliable, triple redundant system of systems in place to maintain connection to the information grid.

    ReplyDelete
  6. CDR Salamander08:14

    "<span> it's a shame that there isn't a reliable, triple redundant system of systems in place to maintain connection to the information grid.</span>"

    --- I guess it isn't transformational enough to say HF-TTY, is it?  I know you can't send PPT slides through it and all ... but it is one heck of a Black Swan proof system. Hey - you can even light a nuke off and .....

    ReplyDelete
  7. kmadams8508:25

    Ah, nothing better than the old TF-O net... the warble of synchronization still runs through my head sometimes

    ReplyDelete
  8. Curtis08:47

    I've been doing Morse since I was 14 and I never heard that one before.  Great!

    We tac mobile users were also called 'disadvantaged users' by PEO C4I and SPAWAR and that was before OTCIXS was allowed to die and GCCS-M became completely useless to us even before we got slammed with the multi-domain crap.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Shazam09:05

    I am sure that there are a bunch of technical issues here. On the less technical side, does this mean that the low level diversity and "feel good" BS traffic will be hidden from public transparency and scrutiny and that even discussing it would become a classification issue?

    ReplyDelete
  10. SJBill09:08

    Does this mean everybody will switch over to a G-Mail or similar personal account for sending/receiving jokes and messages from home?

    ReplyDelete
  11. Combat Wombat09:39

    Security (OPSEC/IA) nightmare. Mebby they think EDS-uh, HP is capable of making this happen with NMCI/NGEN.

    Having tried to inject sanity into that one once, Wombie's not smiling... =-X  

    ReplyDelete
  12. bullnav10:05

    So for us reservists out there, we will be back to waiting for the drill weekend to give information to the NOSC that contains PII.  Not to mention, we will not be able to email the NOSC anymore if they have no UNCLAS email.  Good system.

    ReplyDelete
  13. JimmyMac10:49

    Ah yes, "losing connectivity"....for those that remember the good old days of single-up all lines, cut shore power and telephone lines, this is truly a generational "thing".  The best days of a sailors life was when those phone lines to the pier were cut.  The BS stopped and the job of being a sailor we all signed-up for began!  Funny how a crises resolved itself in the days of slow GENSER traffic..... 

    ReplyDelete
  14. AW1 Tim12:06

    Back in the day, we used these things called pens and paper to write our letters and family stuff on. When we had filled up the page or our hands started to cramp, we'd take the paper, fold it up, and slide it itno this paper cover called an envelope. It was sealable and had a blank front surface where you could nadwrite a delivery address, and sender's information. After that, you applied a "stamp" to the upper left corner. This was an adhesive mark that noted you have paid the cost for delivery of this "letter".

       Once that was complete, and it sometimes took a bit, being analog and all that, the "letter" was given to the command's mail orderly, and then placed into a bag and sent vis truck or helo or fixed-wing assests until it finally got to where you wanted it to go.

       System was labor-inensive, but worked pretty well.   ;)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous12:08

    "Thank you, Comrades, for continuing to fight fair in this era of hope and change."

    Sincerely Yours,

    People's Liberation Army Navy

    ReplyDelete
  16. SJBill12:30

    SOmetimes very well, indeed!
    Every now and again, these analog missives were intentionally stained with colored facial imprints, or smelling of some perfume.

    ReplyDelete
  17. C-dore 1413:43

    AW1, What was even better was when you wrote "FREE" in the upper right hand corner where the stamp was supposed to go.

    ReplyDelete
  18. Grandpa Bluewater13:53

    Guaranteed worm free and worm proof and immune to viruses past present and future, All hardware everywhere 100% EMP hardened. Degrade proof when under attack.

    Cures all, and costs less.

    Trust me, 

    What, we import all the parts of all the gear from where?

    And you think I'm radical cause  I say send half the flag officers home.

    Some days I think we should send them all home. Rank the 4 stripers by accumulated sea time and fill the 4 and 3 star billets with frocked O6's and the rest with non frocked 06's entitled "Commodore" on the basis of that ranking.

    Then relieve for cause like Cdr Commands.

    ReplyDelete
  19. C-dore 1415:18

    JM, You're correct there, it is a generational thing.  As a PACFLT sailor in my early days I remember clearing up paperwork during long transits and having time to myself before we got back into port.  Then it would take a day or so to sort and distribute the official mail and you'd have an excuse to stay aboard and recharge.

    ReplyDelete
  20. C-dore 1415:19

    Anyone out there besides me remember the "Speedletter"?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Frago16:08

    Some of you guys are reading too far in to the intent of this. This is primarily an elimination of redundant message traffic systems that exist ashore. The equipment ant cost to run UNCLAS only message systems is quite cumbersome, particularly in the PACFLT world where several variations of this still exist. I guarantee you that there still be a plethora of UNCLAS NAVADMINs pouring in, just to the classified messaging system (as is the case now). 

    ReplyDelete
  22. Anonymous16:52

    next time I'm on deployment waiting for my orders to come in and we have sporadic nipr services, I'll remember that........

    ReplyDelete
  23. Southern Air Pirate18:31

    Not likely since 99% of the ships out there ban such services as Hotmail, Gmai, Yahoo, etc for OpSec reasons. Yet, about 10% will allow you to access Facebook and post just about whatever.

    ReplyDelete
  24. Southern Air Pirate18:49

    I am old enough to remember growing up waiting for postcards, letters, and the ever so often casette tape from my father when he deployed. I also remember doing at least one letter a week and one "survival package" a week back out to the same. I also remember getting woken up at midnight thirty cause dad was overseas someplace and just cashed in twenty dollars with the DK's for same in quarters. Finally gettting a chance to talk if even for 15 minutes before the line quit or he got off to let another sailor call home.

    After I joined using email was a big bennie, because that meant almost real-time comms with home. I still sent letters, cards, packages home to various people on the home front. The ability to have email is great cause at times it helped to resolve family issues at home quicker. Even in today's time postal mail to and from the ship can suck big time. I just had a Christmas pacakge show up at my home months after I returned from my latest deployment. About twenty different "Mis-sent to XXX FPO" stamps on it, even though the mailing address is done right.

    I just ask the same question as the reader. So as an LPO my CPO mess puts out that sailors are responsible verifying thier Page 2 data (emergancy contact data) we are middle of the North Atlantic in December, sailor can't navigate to the site to do the verification and in turn flame spray commences for failure to complete in alloted time frame. What if OpNav puts out a new personnel management instruction on how to mark FitReps/Evals via thier website along with attached PDF's. In turn sailors on a forward deployed site in forward deployed site in HOA with limited connectivity. In turn a slew evals for the upcoming test cycle are done wrong. Your command now just hosed nearly all your sailors cause everytime the admin department tries to locate information it is buried deep with in some Web 2.0 site. So all the evals are written wrong in accordance with the instructions. Rejected from NavPers! Think of how many of your sailors would be pissed to find out they didn't advance cause the right instructions aren't on hand. The Chief's mess says use your resources, but if you can't access them nor know all about them cause you can't get to the right pages on the websites?

    ReplyDelete
  25. AW1 Tim19:41

     especially when they had attachments like drawings, photgraphs, and the occaional scent of some exotic perfume. Didn't ned to check for viruses when you opened the mail, either.  :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. xformed20:12

    Yep...all this stuff on the the many things that are literally "waste, Fraud and abuse" and then the crappy management traffic, that has not reason to be protected by classification now is behind the curtain.  First off, hard to do "traffic analysis," let alone know it it is in the works.  Harder to get under FOIA, because...you know. it's now "National Security," come back in a few years, sonny, and maybe we'll review it and make it UNCLAS.

    Sounds more cowardly than a purely pragmatic function of actually protecting what needs to be protected.  Quite honestly, it will be a PITA when every songle stinking msg is classified, even when you're on the ship, won't it?

    Pretty stupid move...just to cover some butts.

    ReplyDelete
  27. xformed20:15

    Then it was "Dear John" as the biggest threat to the act of "opening."  Now, they just ufriend you on FaceBook.... :)

    ReplyDelete
  28. C-dore 1401:36

    I'm old enough to remember long "mail droughts" due to operations...3 weeks during the April '72 "Easter Offensive" and only a single delivery (via diplomatic pouch in Karachi) during a month and a half I/O deployment in '76.  Was certainly happy to have e-mail during my last deployment on the CVN and agree with SAP that it makes it easier to resolve issues at home before they become crises.

    My best "survival package" came in the form of a Christmas present from my father-in-law.  When I opened it I found two quarts of gin inside. 

    ReplyDelete
  29. C-dore 1414:21

    kmadams, Combine that with Offline Crypto and you've got yourself a system. :)

    ReplyDelete
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  31. Anonymous17:06

    Funny how we can't support unclass message traffic, but we keep adding VTC suites to ships.  somehow the bandwidth discrepancy doesn't make sense.

    ReplyDelete
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