SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2018, Issue No. 45
July 17, 2018

Secrecy News Blog: https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

CYBER WAR AS A CAREER PATH

Military cyber operations have been normalized to the point that there is now a defined career path for would-be cyber warriors in the U.S. Air Force and a formal curriculum for training them.

The role of a cyber war specialist, which includes defense as well as offense, is "to develop, sustain, and enhance cyberspace capabilities to defend national interests from attack and to create effects in cyberspace to achieve national objectives," according to new Air Force guidance that was published this week.

The Air Force training plan outlines the anticipated career progression of its cyber warriors, and describes the tasks that they must master. See Cyber Warfare Operations Career Field Education and Training Plan, CFETP 1B4X1, July 15, 2018.

Offensively, trainees must learn methods such as buffer overflow tactics and techniques, privilege escalation, rootkits, redirection and triggering, tunneling, and so forth. Defensive methods include encryption, secure enclaves, boundary protection, intrusion detection, etc.

A select group of especially competent trainees will be selected "to futher develop their skills in the areas of secure system design, vulnerability analysis, computer network defense (CND), and computer network exploitation (CNE)" in joint programs with the National Security Agency and US Cyber Command.

The programs will enhance students' technical skills and will help to "bridge gaps between typical Computer Science/Engineering curriculum and those necessary for Computer Network Attack / Exploitation / Defense."

"Each intern must complete at least one offensive and at least one defensive tour during the program," the guidance said.

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Some other noteworthy new military doctrinal and other publications include the following.

Human Remains Associated with Sunken Military Craft, SecNav Instruction 5360.2, July 11, 2018. Navy policy normally precludes efforts to recover the remains of those lost at sea. "The Department of the Navy (DON) has long recognized the sea as a fit and final resting place for personnel who perish at sea."

The guided missile destroyer USS John S. McCain is now named for Senator McCain as well as for his father and grandfather. "As a prisoner of war, [Sen.] McCain represented our nation with dignity and returned with honor," wrote Secretary of the Navy Richard V. Spencer in a July 12 memorandum memorializing the designation.

The production of electric power for military operations is addressed in a new Army manual. "Modern warfare relies on electrically powered systems, making electricity an essential element that supports warfighting functions." Though nuclear power systems have previously played a role in the Army, there is no mention of nuclear reactors or isotope power in the new publication. See ATP 3-34.45. Electric Power Generation and Distribution, July 6, 2018.

SSCI REQUIRES STRATEGY FOR COUNTERING RUSSIA

In its new report on the FY 18-19 Intelligence Authorization bill, published today, the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence would require the Director of National Intelligence "to develop a whole-of-government strategy for countering Russian cyber threats against United States electoral systems and processes."

As if to underscore the gulf in the perception of the Russian threat that separates President Trump and the US intelligence community, the Senate Intelligence Committee comes down firmly on the side of the latter, taking "Russian efforts to interfere with the 2016 United States presidential election" as a given and an established fact.

The Senate report describes numerous other provisions of interest on election security, classification policy, cybersecurity, and more.

The House Intelligence Committee published its report on the pending FY18-19 intelligence authorization bill earlier this month.

TIT-FOR-TAT TARIFF MEASURES, AND MORE FROM CRS

New and updated reports from the Congressional Research Service include the following.

Tit-for-Tat Tariff Measures and U.S. Trade Policy, CRS Insight, July 11, 2018:

Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Incentives: A Summary of Federal Programs, updated July 11, 2018:

Military Transition Assistance Program (TAP): An Overview, CRS In Focus, updated July 12, 2018:

Risk and Needs Assessment in the Federal Prison System, updated July 10, 2018:

Senate Judiciary Committee Hearings for a Supreme Court Nominee: Overview, CRS Insight, July 12, 2018:

Justice Anthony Kennedy: His Jurisprudence and the Future of the Court, July 11, 2018:

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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

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