[liberationtech] Hacking for Defense: Opportunity to learn more about the ISR disposable sensors problem

[Yosem Companys]

From: Kimberly Diane Chang <kdchang at stanford.edu>

If you are interested in the Intelligence, Surveillance, and
Reconnaissance disposable sensors problem (description below), we have
an opportunity for you to learn more about the problem directly from a
member of the 7th fleet.  Jason Knudson, fleet information warfare
officer in the 7th fleet, will be in Palo Alto Feb 28-March 4 and is
willing to do a one on one with anyone interested in the ISR problem.

Thank you,

Kim

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Distributed, Disposable, Intelligence, Surveillance, and Reconnaissance
(Posted 21 Jan 2016)

Challenge:  Develop a strategy for buying and using distributed,
low-cost, disposable, secure, Intelligence, Surveillance, and
Reconnaissance sensors throughout the Navy’s 7th Fleet Area of
Responsibility (the Western Pacific and Indian Ocean.)

Background:  The Navy’s 7th fleet has 50-70 ships, 140 aircraft and
40,000 Navy and Marine Corps personnel. Its area of responsibility
covers more than 48 million square miles from the Kuril Islands in the
north to the Antarctic in the south, and from the International Date
Line to the India-Pakistan border.

Maintaining awareness of all submarine, surface ship, and aircraft
activity through the 7th Fleet’s 48 million square miles is a daunting
challenge even during peacetime. In wartime  adversaries can destroy
our existing intelligence collection platforms in denied areas.
Developing a distributed and disposable air, land, and sea sensor
strategy is a key element to operating in a denied environment.

Boundaries & Considerations:

Sensors must be low cost, disposable, and capable of being produced in
large enough numbers to cover key 7th Fleet areas of interest.
Sensor array must be capable of persistent operation in the maritime
environment (salt, weather, humidity).
Strategy should include employment, emplacement, dispersal, and
replenishment in an A2/AD environment.
Consider environmental & safety factors including hazards to
navigation and wildlife.
Consider both manned and unmanned systems.
Consider, air, sea, undersea, and ground systems.
Strategy should include the problem of how to connect, collect, find
meaning from, and distribute the information in an A2/AD environment.
Include a concept of physical security and cyber-security for these
sensors to prevent the use of the sensor network against the host
network. (Ex. Tamper resistant, volatile memory, security coded).
There are three specific problems that would make good demos
Building low cost sensors (Some Navy "disposable" sensors cost $25k each)
Connecting sensors and getting data back to a central repository
Machine assisted method of finding meaning in the data.


Sponsor:  U.S. Navy, Commander, 7th Fleet