BlueSpace

The strategic goal may be information sharing and network-centric operations, but the reality of today’s joint and coalition infrastructure is that it is becoming more and more stovepiped.

In a recent CENTCOM presentation, representatives from the J6 and J8 offices described how the number of coalition nations at CENTCOM expanded from around 35 at the time of the first Iraq War to around 80 by the time of Operation Iraqi Freedom. The increasing coalition collaboration has caused the creation of more coalition networks (there are over 70 CENTRICS networks today), as reflected in all the caveats and handling instructions. In Afghanistan today, there are tents with up to 10 different networks and PCs – Mission Secret, ISAF Secret, NATO Secret, US Secret, UK Secret, Two Eyes Secret, Four Eyes Secret, etc.

Cost pressure is driving consolidation of these physical networks into logical networks running across a single infrastructure – giving each user a single PC device that can access these separate logical networks. There are several large defense programs deploying these, such as CANES, NGEN and ETCS in the US, as well as NGD in Australia. Accredited solutions include AFRL’s SABER, NSA’s HAP and other trusted thin clients – CENTCOM and SPAWAR are also working on OB1.

These trusted workstations can reduce desktop clutter, hardware duplication, power consumption and ultimately costs. But they behave like Keyboard Video Mouse (KVM) switches – users still have:

• Multiple instances of Microsoft Outlook (one running on each domain) that don’t know about each other – each having an inbox and calendar.

• Multiple Common Operating Pictures (one running on each domain).

This is frustrating to users. It can also be dangerous, causing decisions to be made on subsets of available data as opposed to true ‘all source’ analysis, as well as delaying decision making and increasing the risks of friendly fire accidents.

BlueSpace multi-level secure (MLS) applications keep the data on the right network, but give users a unified user interface that spans the different networks. Applications include:

• Unity: One inbox for all your email, one calendar for all your meetings.

• Discover: One search for all your intelligence sources.

• GeoSpace: One geospatial view for C2 operations.

BlueSpace’s MLS applications maintain the security controls to limit access to the data, but allow appropriately authorized users to work seamlessly across the backend stovepipes in a single user interface. The US Government provided funding to BlueSpace to develop some of the components of the Discover application as part of the Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative.

BlueSpace partnered with Hanscom in CWID 2010 to demonstrate a next generation C2 interface being developed for the USAF AWACS fleet. In an MSNBC affiliate interview at JFCOM, LtCol Davis (the BlueSpace trial operator) commented, “I’ve been out there, and have flown in combat zones, and done it. What we are testing here, it’s going to eventually save lives.