Ian Spillane

摘要

In order to successfully operate in today’s battlespace systems need to be ‘connected’, I.e. to be able exchange information with the plethora of providers and consumers present. Successful exchanges rely upon the use of compatible communications paths (compatible frequencies, equipment and signalling) and standardised message sets and/or data formats. Typically these mechanisms are defined in Standards (Def Stans, Mil Standards, STANAGs) – in some cases encompassing all aspects in one document (for example Link 16), in others spread across a number of standards (e.g. the use of VMF). However the ease of data transfer amongst ‘interoperable’ systems has to be balanced against the requirements to keep such data transfers secure. This needs to be considered not only with respect to protection from external attack, but also to prevent inadvertent transfer of classified data onto an unclassified network, or transfer of higher classified data onto a lower level classified network (Secret onto a Confidential network), or transfer of nationally classified data onto a internationally classified network. The introduction of Information Assurance safeguards inevitably leads to reductions in real interoperability between systems. These problems are further exacerbated by the use of data gateways, forwarders and translators which are put in place to tie together the disparate networks being employed in today’s battlespace This paper will explore the problems identified above, the impacts they are having in the real world, and look at how they can be reduced or even removed in the future