4,022 research outputs found

    National Security Space Launch

    Get PDF
    The United States Space Force’s National Security Space Launch (NSSL) program, formerly known as the Evolved Expendable Launch Vehicle (EELV) program, was first established in 1994 by President William J. Clinton’s National Space Transportation Policy. The policy assigned the responsibility for expendable launch vehicles to the Department of Defense (DoD), with the goals of lowering launch costs and ensuring national security access to space. As such, the United States Air Force Space and Missile Systems Center (SMC) started the EELV program to acquire more affordable and reliable launch capability for valuable U.S. military satellites, such as national reconnaissance satellites that cost billions per satellite. In March 2019, the program name was changed from EELV to NSSL, which reflected several important features: 1.) The emphasis on “assured access to space,” 2.) transition from the Russian-made RD-180 rocket engine used on the Atlas V to a US-sourced engine (now scheduled to be complete by 2022), 3.) adaptation to manifest changes (such as enabling satellite swaps and return of manifest to normal operations both within 12 months of a need or an anomaly), and 4.) potential use of reusable launch vehicles. As of August 2019, Blue Origin, Northrop Grumman Innovation Systems, SpaceX, and United Launch Alliance (ULA) have all submitted proposals. From these, the U.S. Air Force will be selecting two companies to fulfill approximately 34 launches over a period of five years, beginning in 2022. This paper will therefore first examine the objectives for the NSSL as presented in the 2017 National Security Strategy, Fiscal Year 2019, Fiscal Year 2020, and Fiscal Year 2021 National Defense Authorization Acts (NDAA), and National Presidential Directive No. 40. The paper will then identify areas of potential weakness and gaps that exist in space launch programs as a whole and explore the security implications that impact the NSSL specifically. Finally, the paper will examine how the trajectory of the NSSL program could be adjusted in order to facilitate a smooth transition into new launch vehicles, while maintaining mission success, minimizing national security vulnerabilities, and clarifying the defense acquisition process.No embargoAcademic Major: EnglishAcademic Major: International Studie

    Cyberspace: A Venue for Terrorism

    Get PDF
    This paper discusses how cyberspace has become a venue for terrorists groups for recruiting and proliferating propaganda and terrorism. Moreover, this study explores how the low cost Internet infrastructure and social media sites (such as Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) have contributed to their networking and operations due to the convenience, in terms of availability, accessibility, message redundancy, ease of use, and the inability to censor content. Concepts such as cyber-weapons, cyber-attacks, cyber-war, and cyber-terrorism are presented and explored to assess how terrorist groups are exploiting cyberspace

    Codifying Information Assurance Controls for Department of Defense (DoD) Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) Systems (U)

    Get PDF
    Protecting DoD critical infrastructure resources and Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems from cyber attacks is becoming an increasingly challenging task. DoD Information Assurance controls provide a sound framework to achieve an appropriate level of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. However, these controls have not been updated since 2003 and currently do not adequately address the security of DoD SCADA systems. This research sampled U.S. Air Force Civil Engineering subject matter experts representing eight Major Commands that manage and operate SCADA systems. They ranked 30 IA controls in three categories, and evaluated eight SCADA specific IA controls for inclusion into the DoD IA control framework. Spearman’s Rho ranking results (ρ = .972414) indicate a high preference for encryption, and system and information integrity as key IA Controls to mitigate cyber risk. Equally interesting was the strong agreement among raters on ranking certification and accreditation dead last as an effective IA control. The respondents strongly favored including four new IA controls of the eight considered

    Alumni Perceptions of Cybersecurity Employment Preparation Using the NICE Framework

    Get PDF
    The cybersecurity workforce suffers from an ongoing talent shortage and a lack of information correlating cybersecurity education programs to alumni employment outcomes. This cross-sectional study evaluated the post-graduation employment outcomes of alumni who attended two-year colleges designated by the National Security Agency (NSA) as Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). Stakeholders of this project were identified as government agencies, the NSA, employers, faculty, students, and organizations that rely on cybersecurity talent to keep their systems secure from cyberattacks. This study used the explanatory sequential mixed methods approach to compare perceptions of the intended Program of Study work roles to alumni employment outcomes using the NICE Framework work roles. This multi-phased, nested sample study included CAE-CD designated Points of Contact (POCs) at two-year colleges and their alumni. The first phase included a call for participation requesting POCs to provide academic program information via online survey and to contact their cybersecurity program alumni with a link to an online survey. The second phase of the study included an online survey requesting that the alumni provide data about their work experience, academic program information, industry-recognized certification achieved, and any co/extra-curricular participation. Overall, the demographics of the alumni sample were more diverse than those of the U.S. cybersecurity workforce and the alumni noted that their two-year academic programs were important to the preparation for their current job. Of the alumni who reported they were currently employed, approximately 80% held technology-related positions. Recommendations are made for the use of the resulting knowledge by cybersecurity stakeholders to better understand the employment outcomes of two-year college alumni from CAE-CD cybersecurity programs

    Building and Integrating an Information Security Trustworthiness Framework for Aviation Systems

    Get PDF
    The aviation infrastructure is broadly composed of aircraft, air traffic control systems, airports and public airfields. Much attention has been given to physical security along the years this industry has been expanding; and now, in the new age of interconnection devices, a growing concern about cybersecurity has risen. The never-ending improvement of new digital technology has given birth to a new generation of electronic-enabled (e-enabled) aircraft that implement a remarkable amount of new technologies such as IP-enabled networks, COTS (commercial off-the- shelf) components, wireless connectivity, and global positioning systems (GPSs). For example, aircraft manufacturers are building wireless systems to reduce the amount of wiring within an aircraft. The general purpose of this is the reduction in weight that helps an aircraft achieve lower fuel consumption, but it can result into a security issue since these wireless systems are vulnerable to cybersecurity threats. Therefore, since the aviation infrastructure has taken advantages of the era of technology and is providing unprecedented global connectivity, there is a need for an in-depth study of the measures being taken to mitigate the security vulnerabilities that these e-enabled aircraft technologies introduce that may have not been considered in the traditional aircraft design

    ”Development and Importance of Management Systems According to ISO for IT Organizations and the Resulting Demand for Consulting Services. An Analysis Between USA and Germany.”

    Get PDF
    This research analyzes the demand of two international standards, ISO 27001 (Information Security) and ISO 20000-1 (IT Service Management), and the resulting impact on the demand for ISO consulting. Due to rising security breaches with increased media coverage, the public and the government is starting to recognize the importance of protecting critical data. Implementing an Information Security Management System enables companies to sufficiently safeguard their information in the long-term and adhere to governmental regulations. Companies seek to implement an IT Service Management System in order to implement best practices in their organization and enable themselves to compete in the market on a global basis. ISO 27001 and ISO 20000-1 enable a company to operate in more successful ways by reducing the cost of operations and reducing the risk of severe damages to a company’s reputation in case of any cyberattacks. The standards are complex in nature and most companies do not have enough internal resources to implement the standards on their own. Also, the introduction of an Information Security Management System requires adoption by the entire organization and not just single departments. The scope of such a system requires deepener knowledge of the standards in order to successfully implement the management system and for the company to benefit from its long-term effectiveness. Thus, the demand for the implementation of ISO 27001 and ISO 20000-1 result in an increased demand for the services of ISO consulting firms
    corecore