Feasibility Study on the Use of the Internet for Traffic of Unclassified Data

摘要

This research compares two possible networking methods for connecting all Brazilian Air Force Materiel Command units responsible for support and operation of Brazilian Air Force's weapons systems. The network includes the use of dedicated X.25 links, and the use of a virtual Private Network using the Internet (TCP/IP) as the medium of transmission. The Brazilian Air Force Materiel Command, responsible to support operating units over a very large sparse territory, lacks an efficient media of computer communications, which makes it difficult to control the supply chain channels of materiel present in each unit, depots, and warehouses. We studied the network infrastructure necessary to solve this problem, and proposed two different scenarios. One uses the current level of technology based on dedicated X.25 environment, and the other uses the incipient Virtual Private Networking technology and the Internet as the communication medium. The results suggest that the Brazilian Air Force could be able to use the Internet and VPN technology in a moderated secure environment (C2 Level), and could save more than $100,000 per month in comparison to the implementation of the same level of networking using the present X.25 model. This study concludes that the BAF may benefit from the use of the VPN model in a secure and less costly environment, while maintaining the necessary flexibility and high performance to operate in the newly paradigm of distributed environments. Other implications for the Brazilian Air Force regarding Information Warfare issues and recommendations for further study are discussed.