Section 4: Communications

The fundamental problems of communications have not changed during the ongoing technology revolution. They are: appropriate connectivity between people and organizations, interoperability of systems, data throughput, and security.

One of the advantages of the ongoing technology explosion is that we have an increasing variety of methods to connect people, organizations, and forces together. Advances in satellite and radio communications are providing afloat forces with more channels, more throughput, and more security. Networks such as office LANs, the Internet, and INTELINK have created a whole new paradigm in connectivity between people and organizations. Cellular systems are proliferating in the civilian world and are also being developed for strictly military purposes. More communications tools mean that we can better choose the ones we need for each specific application.

System interoperability is getting increased attention. Just a few years ago it was difficult, if not impossible, for a JTF commander on a Navy ship to communicate with his Army troops ashore. The "jointness" mentality is now resulting in the development and fielding of new systems that will correct that situation.

One thing that has not changed, and probably never will, is that user demand for throughput is always at least twice the throughput available. New developments, such as increased fiber optic installations ashore and new SHF applications afloat and in the field, are providing bigger and bigger pipelines to carry our data. Even HF, which not too long ago was written off as "dead", is seeing a resurgence. Frequency-hopping radios, packet-switching systems, and other developments are stuffing more bits of data onto the same old airwaves. However, just as communications systems are providing more capacity, the users are trying to cram even more data through them. As an example, when the standard speeds for computer modems increased, many Internet sites began installing graphic user interfaces, which increased data throughput requirements several fold. The bottom line is that communications pipelines these days are indeed growing, but user demand is growing faster still.

Maintaining the security of our communications systems has always been a high priority. Advances in cryptographic technology are putting more secure and easier-to-use systems into the fleet. Secure telephones such as STU-3's are winding up on more and more desks. Computer security is an especially hot field. The government recently tried to mandate the CLIPPER chip as the US security standard. The CLIPPER chip provides strong security for computer communications, albeit with a "back door" crypto key that would allow government agencies to read encoded files. Industry worldwide has responded with alternatives, such as Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), which don't have back doors and are extremely hard even for supercomputers to crack. These technological developments have a hidden cost, however: basic communications security awareness tends to become lost in the rush for new equipment. It's easy to provide the security systems, but if they are not used, they provide no protection.

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