Pentagon restrictions on wireless devices expected soon
The Defense Department is expected to finalize its new policies restricting military use of wireless devices next week, a department spokesman said Friday.
"There's no question it's going to happen," the spokesman said. "I would expect it sometime next week" when Pentagon Chief Information Officer John Stenbit returns from leave.
The expected policy will cover Pentagon-area wireless use. Stenbit also has submitted for formal consideration a second policy on wireless devices used in Defense's global information grid. The policies are part of a broader military-wide effort to bolster communications security. The effort includes the use of public-key infrastructure technology in military electronic communications so they can be traced, according to the department spokesman.
"As we move more and more toward a paperless age and have access to classified information ... if that is associated with any public-key infrastructure codes, [they] can't be removed from traffic back and forth," he said. "It's going to be very evident that when we have a leak of targeting Saddam Hussein's outhouse, we'll know who accessed the information down to the individual."
The draft Pentagon-area wireless policy would prohibit wireless connectivity to a classified network or computer, as well as synchronization with unapproved information technology devices. The policy would require punitive action for repeated violations that threaten Pentagon security, with military, civilian agency and contractor violations likely to be treated differently, the spokesman said.
The policy includes a conditional exception for unencrypted classified information where there is "documented operational need." For instance, earlier this year, the Pentagon put on the Internet images gathered by unmanned Predator vehicles flying over Bosnia so allies who did not have access to the information otherwise could see it, the spokesman said.
The department-wide policy would call for development of a process for sharing wireless technology capabilities, vulnerabilities and strategies. It also would encourage interoperability of communications systems through the use of open standards at Defense.
A security analyst predicted that the new policies would make operations more difficult and might cause a backlash later.
"There is an enduring tension between security and efficiency," said Steven Aftergood, senior research analyst at the Federation of American Scientists. "The new policy would shift the balance a bit in the direction of increased security. This is probably an appropriate step, but it will come at the expense of convenience and ease of operation. In all likelihood, therefore, the balance will need to be shifted once again in the not-too-distant future."
The policy also would apply to personal digital assistants (PDAs), but an exception might be made for a special model of encrypted Blackberry PDAs. However, the Defense spokesman said "there might be other factors involved" if a large contingent of workers who use Blackberries are outside the United States, if the signals can be reached outside the country or if people take them to insecure overseas locations, such as Afghanistan.