Posted on Jul 23, 2014
What technology that was supposed to help is actually hurting us?
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The Department of the Army is relooking everything. From top to bottom it is looking for systems that were supposed to help us that jsut haven't panned out. Things that cause more harm than good. Things that waste time just for the sake of having more digitalia. A few come to mind, but I want to hear what the consensus is. What technology is actually holding you back. What burns your time? What is not doing what it was supposed to? If we can identify them from the bottom up, maybe...we can unburden ourselves.
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Technology
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 21
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All of it. We're building things that pretty much think for us to the point where if we lose it, we're lost. No one takes notes, writes letters, sends cards its all eThis and iThat. Is there a retail clerk out there who can actually make change without looking at the register screen? Does anyone know when their next doctor appointment is if they forget there cell phone? Other than mostly grocery stores, how often do people go to a store, let alone buy anything? You don't need to carry a quarter to make a pay phone call but you need 3 of them in case your tire starts running low - and how do you know when this happens - when your car tells you.
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SFC (Join to see)
I have to agree. When I came back into the service (13B), I saw that most soldiers in the M777 units lacked the basic artillery skills. Granted this was National Guard, but still. They relied on the GPS and considered laying the gun, DAP and aiming reference points as something done after occupying a position. What I had in my head after 19 years, they needed a 6-50 for.
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COL (Join to see)
Considering that one of the biggest problems getting people through Ranger School today is Land Navigation, I have to concur. Land Navigation and orienteering used to be skills that every combat soldier absolutely knew. Now it's one of the toughest hurdles.
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I say this as a cyber soldier who started programming, hacking, and using a computer in 1980...
Computers. They were a tool that now needs to be treated as a weapons system. I can not do my job now without it. But, I need a working CAC card with current Information Assurance training and a local account to use my Enterprise Email with a good image on my computer with current updates on a port that is active with connectivity to the rest of the Army and no one has "popped port security" in order to use it. That would be ok if that solar system aligned completely. But, all too frequently one of these things goes wrong and it only takes one to stop me from logging on and doing my work.
We have not taken that tool and weaponized it so that it actually provides a service vice causing you as much work to use it as it does to do the work you leadership wants you to do. We need to quit driving around Toyota pickups with steel plating welded on while the shocks, tires, and frame are collapsing in our effort to protect ourselves early in the IED fight, and design a network and computers that actually create a weapon system hardened for military use.
And then there are all the other things that you guys have already mentioned and many, many more...
Computers. They were a tool that now needs to be treated as a weapons system. I can not do my job now without it. But, I need a working CAC card with current Information Assurance training and a local account to use my Enterprise Email with a good image on my computer with current updates on a port that is active with connectivity to the rest of the Army and no one has "popped port security" in order to use it. That would be ok if that solar system aligned completely. But, all too frequently one of these things goes wrong and it only takes one to stop me from logging on and doing my work.
We have not taken that tool and weaponized it so that it actually provides a service vice causing you as much work to use it as it does to do the work you leadership wants you to do. We need to quit driving around Toyota pickups with steel plating welded on while the shocks, tires, and frame are collapsing in our effort to protect ourselves early in the IED fight, and design a network and computers that actually create a weapon system hardened for military use.
And then there are all the other things that you guys have already mentioned and many, many more...
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SPC (Join to see)
I have pondered such a feat... To develop a secure system that is not available outside of military use. Unique hardware, unique software, unique OS, unique networking equipment and commands... With security built into each device, each OS, each program.
Rather than be squeezed by the growing threats, and they are plentiful... Hacker tools are becoming more widespread and much more sophisticated. Hackers innovate whereas security professional pick up the pieces of their innovation. Who will win that battle?
Unless something new is created, perhaps even a new network communication model, above and beyond TCP/IP with security fundamentally built into it - we may never see that day... but there are some very smart people out there - perhaps there is some hope.
Rather than be squeezed by the growing threats, and they are plentiful... Hacker tools are becoming more widespread and much more sophisticated. Hackers innovate whereas security professional pick up the pieces of their innovation. Who will win that battle?
Unless something new is created, perhaps even a new network communication model, above and beyond TCP/IP with security fundamentally built into it - we may never see that day... but there are some very smart people out there - perhaps there is some hope.
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COL (Join to see)
Now we're getting into the system behind the system. Once you build something for the military it has to be regulated. One fo the banes of my existence are the IT folks. Those silver haired IT thugs who require all kinds of virtual computer training to use your computer. Gah.
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Avoiding a general condemnation on technology (email/cell phones/etc sucks!!) and speaking just to COL (Join to see)'s question of those technological programs/systems within DoD that are actually worse than what we had before :
DTS - for those that have used it more than a few times, it's not bad. For those that travel once in a great while -- it's more of a resource drain than it's worth (rough guess based on experience is that the later group far outweighs the former group)
New OER system for Army officers - royal pain ... but I have to give it the benefit of the doubt because it's so new ... but it's still a royal pain.
USB Drives - http://www.eventtracker.com/2014-01-16-operation-buckshot-yankee-agent-btz/ ... now we have HBSS (along with senior leadership with false feelings of security that HBSS protects against everything), Snowden, etc.
Saw LTC Paul Mullins's post and just had to add it in ... I can not begin to tell you how many times I've been NMC because I left that @$#@ CAC plugged into the reader at home. I add that to the list because the capability to use a LOA1 credential (little or no confidence in the asserted identity - like your FaceBook or Google login) and elevate it to a LOA4 credential (very high confidence in the asserted identity - your CAC) exists ... we just have to put it in our business practices.
DTS - for those that have used it more than a few times, it's not bad. For those that travel once in a great while -- it's more of a resource drain than it's worth (rough guess based on experience is that the later group far outweighs the former group)
New OER system for Army officers - royal pain ... but I have to give it the benefit of the doubt because it's so new ... but it's still a royal pain.
USB Drives - http://www.eventtracker.com/2014-01-16-operation-buckshot-yankee-agent-btz/ ... now we have HBSS (along with senior leadership with false feelings of security that HBSS protects against everything), Snowden, etc.
Saw LTC Paul Mullins's post and just had to add it in ... I can not begin to tell you how many times I've been NMC because I left that @$#@ CAC plugged into the reader at home. I add that to the list because the capability to use a LOA1 credential (little or no confidence in the asserted identity - like your FaceBook or Google login) and elevate it to a LOA4 credential (very high confidence in the asserted identity - your CAC) exists ... we just have to put it in our business practices.
Looking back: Operation Buckshot Yankee & agent.btz
Lessons learned from Operation Buckshot Yankee and the agent.btz worm that infected U.S. military networks.
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LTC Paul Mullins
Agreed. DTMS is great when someone doesn't get antsy and decide that they need to create 7 layers of review in order to protect themselves and the government from travelers.
New OER system was pushed back too many times and it debuted right at the beginning of PCS/Annuals being due and the system couldn't handle it. Right idea, bad implementation so far. But, great response in attempting to fix the initial issues to include the bandwidth and server issues.
HBSS - exactly.
New OER system was pushed back too many times and it debuted right at the beginning of PCS/Annuals being due and the system couldn't handle it. Right idea, bad implementation so far. But, great response in attempting to fix the initial issues to include the bandwidth and server issues.
HBSS - exactly.
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COL Randall C.
MSG(P) Michael Warrick, agree ... once you learn the tricks of the trade. If you don't know them? Fuggedaboudit!
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COL (Join to see)
I concur that DTS is a good system, once you know how to use it...DTMS is another issue entirely. I really like ATN and CATS, but DTMS is the Devil, Bobby!
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