DoD Buzz

As the U.S. military contemplates how to help Georgia rebuild its military in the wake of the Russian invasion, some are advocating for a force that largely mirrors U.S. ground forces. A more suitable model might be Hezbollah’s “hybrid” army that proved so effective against the IDF in Lebanon in 2006.

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You can almost hear Dirty Harry saying, “Go ahead. Make My Day.” That classic line captured the grudging respect some Americans have always felt for vigilante justice. The latest version would not involve guns but distributed denial of service attacks using hundreds or thousands of computers linked together. A network security expert has received emails proposing a cyber version of vigilante justice — thousands of computers linked together to strike back at those trying to cripple or destroy American computers.

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Air Force Gen. Arthur Lichte, commander of Air Force Mobility Command, is worried that “the poisonous nature some of the comments” that have come from the two companies and their supporters will make it very difficult to “make peace with everybody.” Making his job even more complicated, he is resigned to another protest. He told reporters at the Defense Writers Group breakfast that “when the RFP comes out I wouldn’t be surprised if one side or the other files a protest.”

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When Russian troops headed into Georgia they were not wearing ballistic protection, except for helmets.

That tidbit comes from US Army Maj. Gen. David Halverson, director Of Army Force Development. Halverson told reporters Thursday that the Russian troops “had no body armor or anything when they went in through the towns…”

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While the military’s main computer network — the NIPRNET — is “hopelessly compromised,” and the Pentagon has not decided how much risk it can accept to its classified network, the SIPRNET, a vigorous tug of war is also underway between the military, which jealousy guards its Title X responsibilities, and the Department of Homeland Security.