Saturday, July 16, 2011

Today in the Department of Defense, Sunday, July 17, 2011

Secretary of Defense Leon E. Panetta and Deputy Secretary of Defense William J. Lynn have no public or media events on their schedules.

Cyber Threat Grows More Destructive, Lynn Says

By Karen Parrish
American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, July 15, 2011 – The cyber threat the United States faces is increasing in severity and is accessible to a wide range of enemies, Deputy Defense Secretary William J. Lynn III said in a television interview broadcast last night.

“Most of what we see today is exploitation -- that's theft, stealing secrets, either commercial or military,” Lynn told Ray Suarez on “PBS Newshour.” “[But] we know the tools exist to destroy things, to destroy physical property, to destroy networks, to destroy data, maybe even take human lives.”

Lynn said nation-states currently are the sole possessors of sophisticated cyber tools, but the capability will spread over time.

“It's going to migrate to rogue states, and it's going to migrate to, eventually, terrorist groups,” he said. “At some point, you're going to see a marriage of capability and
intent, and that is what we should truly worry about.”

DOD is working both to defend its own networks and support the Department of Homeland Security’s mission to protect systems important to national security, Lynn said.

Pentagon officials yesterday released the Defense Department’s first strategy aimed at countering the cyber threat. The strategy document charts the increase of Internet usage since 2000, when there were 360 global users, to 2010’s 2 billion. DOD alone has 15,000 networks and more than 7 million computing devices.

“In the first instance, we're protecting those military capabilities,” Lynn said. “But we need to go further. Working through the Department of Homeland Security, we need to think about how we might use better defensive capabilities to protect … the power grid, the transportation network, the financial sector.”

DOD is not committing to protecting the entire Internet, Lynn said.

“We're talking with our allies about how we have a collective
defense,” he said. “We're working with them to share technologies, to share understandings of the threat, so that we have a collective defense approach to this important problem.”

Most cyber attacks happening now are malicious activity, some are criminal, and some reach the level of espionage, Lynn said.

“We have seen a few cases … where it goes above that and degrades networks themselves,” he said, noting the 2007 attack on Estonia and the 2008 cyber assault on the republic of Georgia.

Defending the cyber domain requires a new way of thinking, Lynn said.

“It's different than land, sea, air and space,” he noted. “It's largely privately owned. It crosses borders. It doesn't respect sovereignty. And the speed at which it moves, keystrokes on one side of the globe can have an impact on the other in the blink of an eye.”

U.S. Cyber Command is responsible for organizing DOD’s efforts in the cyber domain, the deputy secretary said.

“They're out hiring people, both in uniform and as civilians, with … [the] cyber skills that we need,” he added. “They're different kinds of skills than we might need with conventional soldiers, but they're equally important.”

DOD doesn’t monitor or scan commercial networks in the United States, Lynn said.

“We're trying to work with the appropriate agencies, the FBI, with law enforcement, the Department of Homeland Security, for protection of critical infrastructure to provide capabilities … that the Defense Department has that might be used for those critical missions,” he said. “But we don't have the primary role.”

PCU Minnesota Crew Meets with Ship's Sponsor, Tours Nation's Capital

From Commander, Submarine Group Two Public Affairs

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Crew members and their families from the Pre-Commissioning Unit (PCU) Minnesota (SSN 783), participated in a luncheon with the ship's sponsor, Mrs. Ellen Roughead, and met with Minnesota Congressional Representatives during their visit to Washington, D.C., July 14.

During their visit to the nation's capital, Cmdr. John Fancher, PCU Minnesota commanding officer; Lt. Cmdr. Craig Hempeck, executive officer; and Master Chief Electronic Technician (SS) Randy Reid, chief of the boat, visited U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MINN), prior to the luncheon with the ship's sponsor.

"This is an once-in-a-lifetime experience for our crew and their families; we are happy to have such a great relationship with Mrs. Roughead," said Reid. "We are thankful to be in our nation's capital for this visit and to meet with representatives from our namesake state."

The Senior Sailor of the Quarter, Machinist's Mate First Class (SS) Gabriel Piehl; Junior Sailor of the Quarter, Electronic Technician Second Class (SS) Daniel Johnson; and Ombudsman Katrina Piehl also accompanied the senior leadership to meet with the Minnesota senator.

During their visit, retired Vice Adm. John G. Cotton gave the crew and their families a guided tour of the Pentagon and 9/11 Memorial, which was organized by the ship's sponsor.

The crew then had lunch with the ship's sponsor, Ellen Roughead at the historic Tingey house. During the luncheon the crew received a surprise visit from the Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Gary Roughead.

Dave Hutton, president of the Twin Cities Navy League and President of the PCU Minnesota Commissioning Committee and Jim Sillman of the Twin Cities Navy League organized the tour of the nation's capital for the crew and their families.

Minnesota will be the 10th Virginia-class submarine. Construction of the 377-foot long, 7,800- ton ship began in February 2008. The ship is expected to be delivered in 2013 – early to its contract delivery date. The name Minnesota was selected to honor the state's residents and their continued support of the U.S. military. Forty six Medal of Honor recipients were born in Minnesota - spanning from the Civil War to the Vietnam War.

Incoming - The Story of a Vietnam War Combat Medic

With the Addition of Jack "Doc" Manick, Military-Writers.com now lists 1260 US Military Servicemembers and their 3979 books.

Jack Manick “volunteered for military service in 1968. He served one Tour of Duty in Vietnam as a Combat Medic with the remainder of his three year obligation spread among hospital and Infantry Duty in Germany and the US. His military service was with the 1'st and 24th Infantry Divisions, the 70th Combat Engineers and USAREUR (US Army Europe).


Jack Manick has written seven specialty Art Books documenting the life and times of artists who have shaped the destiny of the 20'th and 21'st Century, names like Michael Godard, John Kelly, James Coleman, David Garibaldi and others. Along with Richard Enfantino from Enfantino Publishing, they published their first ever book, "Don't Drink and Draw," the life story and art work of world famous artist Michael Godard. It won the "Best Art Book in 2006" Award by the "USA Book News."

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Jack wrote a Veterans Column titled "Insights of a Veteran," for Comcast's "IntheGardenState.com" local content site in New Jersey and was awarded a "Best Military Site" by Military.com for it.

Jack believes that every day is a "Gift" from a higher power and that it should be lived with conviction and passion. Transforming what in the heart and soul to the "Printed Word" is Jack's passion and he plans to continue with it into the future.” Jack Manick is the author of Incoming.

According to the book description of Incoming, “1969 was a momentous year for the world and especially America. It was a year when man first set foot on the moon and in an equally amazing feat, the New York Mets won baseballs coveted World Series. While earth shaking events were happening two hundred thousand miles from home or deep within the confines of Shea Stadium, men of every race, education and age group were fighting and dying 12,000 miles from home in Americas most unpopular war, Vietnam war.

Today, 40 years later, writer, husband and Veteran Jack Manick reaches into his soul and resurrects the fear, tension, foreboding, laughter and terror that he and his fellow "Band of Brothers" felt as they walked the jungles and forests of the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1969. While in the "Bush", he carried a pack, a medical aid bag, two knives, three grenades, a rifle, pistol and an unbreakable commitment to save the lives of his fellow soldiers, even at the cost of his own.

The story of Jack "Doc" Manick and his fellow soldiers is one of survival...survival in a country laden with malaria, crawling with venomous snakes, scorpions, rats, giant centipedes and tigers and dominated by an enemy determined "Not to lose the War!"

The language is as tough as the enemy who fought against him, as unrelenting as the blistering heat of the Dry Season and as depressing as the endless mud and mold of the Monsoon Season. Incoming invites you to lace up your jungle boots and take a walk with Jack through the jungles and the fields of dry grass in the Central Highlands of Vietnam in 1969.”