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STATEMENT
OF HONORABLE CURT WELDON
MILITARY READINESS SUBCOMMITTEE HEARING ON INFORMATION
TECHNOLOGY:
EXAMINING VULNERABILITIES OF DOD NETWORKS
The hearing will come
to order.
Before we begin let me
first recognize the tremendous work, effort, enthusiasm
and commitment of my good friend and late Congressman,
Mr. Norm Sisisky. He was committed to ensuring that
the Department of Defense maintained its role as the
best fighting force in the world. He will sorely be
missed by not only this subcommittee, but by the Congress
and the Country.
Today, the subcommittee
on Military Readiness meets to receive testimony on
the status of the Department of Defense information
assurance programs and the measures that are being taken
to establish and maintain security on the Department's
information technology infrastructure.
"Hackers Cripple A State
Department Computer System," "Hackers Put State, Military
on Alert," "Pentagon Computers Under Assault," "Hackers
Snarl White House Web site for Several Hours," these
recent news articles demonstrate the vulnerability of
computer networks.
Central to embracing
the advantages of the Information Age is understanding
the inherent risks associated with a networked military
force. DoD must protect not only essential information,
but also the critical infrastructures upon which information
use, transport and availability depends. Today, DoD
estimates its information infrastructure includes 2
to 3 million computers, 100,000 local area networks,
and 100 long distance networks must be protected.
Information assurance
is an essential element of operational readiness and
is based on the need for accurate and timely exchange
of information.
Information assurance
falls under the responsibility of the Assistant Secretary
of Defense (Command, Control, Communications & Intelligence).
In 1998, DoD announced its plans for a Defense-wide
Information Assurance Program (DIAP), with reporting
authority three levels down from the ASD(C3I). A recent
GAO report, "Information Security: Progress and Challenges
to an Effective Defense-wide Information Assurance Program,"
reveals the DIAP lacks a clear mission, has little authority,
and does not have the support from DoD leadership. The
GAO report concludes that the DIAP's limited progress
leaves DoD unable to accurately determine the status
of information assurance across the department, the
progress of its improvement efforts, or the effectiveness
of its information assurance initiatives.
Finally, the subcommittee
will take advantage of the general topic of this hearing
to receive an update from the Department of the Navy
on the Navy Marine Corps Intranet. Last year the Department
awarded a $7B contract for all information technology
services. The contractor, EDS, now owns, runs, and maintains
all Navy hardware and software, including Navy networks.
This contract is referred to as a 'seat management'
contract, as it is priced by the number of 'seats' or
desktops the Navy requests. The Navy is funding the
contract with money previously spend on NMCI-like costs.
Much of the debate over this program was over the visibility,
or lack of visibility, of the funding. There has been
little debate over the benefits such a program can provide,
but discussions over the funding levels remain. The
Navy will provide a brief update on this program during
Panel two.
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