John Arquilla has a new book.

Worst Enemy offers an inside analysis of the events that have derailed our efforts to transform the nation's military into a leaner, lighter, and much more networked force. John Arquilla places these events in historical context and assesses Donald Rumsfeld's role as secretary of defense of the post-9/11 era. Beyond articulating a thorough critique of what has gone wrong, he outlines new solutions, in detail, to remedy the ills that beset American defense policy, including the elimination of the Pentagon, the end of strategic bombing strategy, and force reductions to 100,000 in each of the main services.

About the book, Sy Hersh says:

"Arquilla...makes his case with style and sly wit--often leaving us laughing through our tears."

Worst Enemy: The Reluctant Transformation of the American Military

Adam Shostack has a new book.

Why is information security so dysfunctional? Are you wasting the money you spend on security? This book shows how to spend it more effectively. How can you make more effective security decisions? This book explains why professionals have taken to studying economics, not cryptography--and why you should, too. And why security breach notices are the best thing to ever happen to information security. It’s about time someone asked the biggest, toughest questions about information security. Security experts Adam Shostack and Andrew Stewart don’t just answer those questions--they offer honest, deeply troubling answers. They explain why these critical problems exist and how to solve them. Drawing on powerful lessons from economics and other disciplines, Shostack and Stewart offer a new way forward. In clear and engaging prose, they shed new light on the critical challenges that are faced by the security field. Whether you’re a CIO, IT manager, or security specialist, this book will open your eyes to new ways of thinking about--and overcoming--your most pressing security challenges. The New School enables you to take control, while others struggle with non-stop crises.

The New School of Information Security

Staff writer Rick Atkinson describes the effort by the U.S. military to combat the improvised explosive devices used by insurgents in Afghanistan and Iraq from 2002 until Summer 2007. The series is drawn from more than 140 interviews over the past six months with military and congressional officials, contractors, scientists and defense analysts in Iraq, Afghanistan, Washington and elsewhere. Most agreed to speak candidly only on the condition of anonymity. Ten senior officers or retired officers, each of them intimately involved in the effort to combat IEDs, were asked to review the findings for accuracy and security considerations.

Left of Boom: The Struggle to Defeat Roadside Bombs in Iraq and Afgthanistan

All online conference proceedings are now freely available to everyone. This significant decision will allow universal access to some of the most important technical research in advanced computing. In making this move USENIX is setting the standard for open access to information, an essential part of its mission. Click here for more information.

USENIX - Publications - Proceedings

The private and public sectors depend heavily upon information technology (IT) systems to perform essential, mission-critical functions. As existing technology evolves and new technologies are introduced to provide improved capabilities and advanced features in systems, new technology-related vulnerabilities often arise. Organizations implementing and using advanced technologies must be increasingly on guard. One such category of technologies is active content. Broadly speaking, active content refers to electronic documents that can carry out or trigger actions automatically without an individual directly or knowingly invoking the actions. Exploits based on vulnerabilities in active content technologies can be insidious. The following key guidelines are recommended to organizations for dealing with active content.

Guidelines on Active Content and Mobile Code: Version 2

The KC-X program, the first of three planned programs intended to recapitalize the Air Force’s air refueling fleet, is expected to acquire 179 new, commercial off- the-shelf airliners modified to accomplish air refueling missions. Both Boeing and a consortium consisting of Northrop Grumman and European Aerospace Defense Company (EADS) — the parent company of Airbus — are in competition for KC-X. Boeing offered a variant of the 767-200 while Northrop Grumman/EADS submitted a version of the Airbus 330-200.

Air Force in-flight aerial refueling aircraft, often referred to as “tankers,” provide both persistence and range to Department of Defense (DOD) fighters, bombers, airlift and surveillance aircraft. As such, the Air Force’s tanker fleet greatly multiplies the effectiveness of DOD air power across the continuum of military operations. Today, the KC-135, which makes up the preponderance of the Air Force’s tanker force, is among the Air Force’s oldest aircraft. As a result, potential issues for Congress include:

* How long will the KC-135 remain viable as a military air refueler?
* What is the lowest cost alternative for KC-135 recapitalization?
* How many new tankers does the Air Force require?
* What capabilities should KC-X have?
* How will KC-X fit with future tanker requirements?
* Was the competition fair?
* Should a competitive dual-sourcing acquisition model be pursued?
* Where does the Air Force plan to base KC-X aircraft?
* What other options that can be pursued along with KC-X to expedite KC-135 recapitalization and should they be pursued?

Air Force Air Refueling: The KC-X Aircraft Acquisition Program

The security environment in Iraq continues to improve, supported by limited but important gains on the political, economic and diplomatic fronts. Violence levels have declined since the last report and Iraqi Security Forces (ISF) are gradually assuming responsibility for maintain- ing law and order and promoting stability. New strides have been taken in reconciliation at the national, provincial and local levels, and the Iraqi economy is growing. However, recent security gains remain fragile, and sustained progress over the long term will depend on Iraq’s ability to address a complex set of issues associated with key political and economic objectives.

Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq (March 2008)

The Senate Appropriations Committee held a hearing today to examine the endemic waste, fraud and abuse that has resulted in the squandering of billions of American tax dollars in Iraq. With the cost of the war in Iraq projected to surpass $605 billion this year, the members of the committee heard a wide range of testimony from four witnesses who discussed how American funds are being spent and to what benefit. Testifying before the Committee were: The Honorable David M. Walker, Comptroller General of the United States; The Honorable Claude M. Kicklighter, Inspector General, Department of Defense; Stuart W. Bowen, Jr., Special Inspector General for Iraq Reconstruction; and The Honorable Judge Radhi Hamza al-Radhi, Former Commissioner, Commission on Public Integrity, Republic of Iraq.

Major highlights of the hearing were as follows:

1. Fraud, waste, abuse and corruption in U.S. contracts in Iraq and within the Iraqi government were characterized by all witnesses as “significant,” “widespread,” “rampant,” and costing the United States taxpayers billions of dollars.
2. The Iraqi government’s ability to spend their budgeted funds has not improved and, in fact, most of it has not been spent. Iraq has a budget surplus while the United States this year will have one of the largest budget deficits in history due in part to the large amount of money we are spending on the war and failed reconstruction efforts in Iraq
3. U.S. government oversight has been lacking. Administration efforts to prosecute individuals responsible for the waste or theft of billions of taxpayer dollars have been grossly insufficient. Efforts need strengthening.
4. Corruption in Iraqi oil production is rampant and is feeding the insurgency which in turn is attacking U.S. troops.
5. Fraud, waste, abuse and corruption in Iraq have resulted in a situation in which reconstruction is stymied - oil production still has not exceeded pre-war levels, and water and power are still not available to most Iraqis. At the same time, Americans are paying record prices at the gas pump.
6. Poor accountability has resulted in thousands of weapons provided by the United States to the Iraqi security forces being stolen, looted, or otherwise provided to insurgents and militias to use against U.S. troops. In one case alone, 190,000 pistols and rifles turned over to Iraq cannot be accounted for.
7. The U.S. Department of State has balked at implementing GAO recommendations to develop strategic and integrated accountability measures.
8. Several witnesses’ recommendations regarding war profiteering and contract accountability legislation were made that need to be carefully considered.
9. The former head of the Iraqi Commission on Public Integrity reported that $11 million in U.S. funds (cash) given to him with no benchmarks or restrictions to establish an Iraqi Academy of Integrity were seized by Iraqi officials; the money has not been accounted for.
10. The most effective way to fight al-Qaeda and other insurgents in Iraq is to cut off their funding by implementing strict accountability measures over all monies - U.S. and Iraqi.

Senate Appropriations Committee Examines Waste, Fraud and Abuse of American Tax Dollars in Iraq

The call to war is often met by young Soldiers who lack an understanding of what they are about to encounter. These young Soldiers must be trained, prepared, and then led in battle by those with experience and understanding—the Noncommissioned Officer Corps. In an effort to preserve the history of the US Army Noncommissioned Officer and to provide future noncommissioned officers with an understanding of the actions necessary to prepare Soldiers and to lead them in war, the US Army Sergeants Major Academy undertook a program to gather and publish the stories of NCOs who had served in both Afghanistan and Iraq. Most of the papers received were from students of the US Army Sergeants Major Course who had already deployed to either Operation Enduring Freedom or Operation Iraqi Freedom. This work highlights a few of those stories. A wide range of topics have been chosen to allow the reader to understand the preparations, training, and actions needed for NCOs to accomplish their missions.

The work is prepared in two sections: the first we call Stories from Afghanistan and the second, Stories from Iraq. Stories from Iraq is further broken down into “Fighting the Iraqi Army” and “Fighting the Insurgency.” Each story has a brief introduction to provide the reader with a background and setting for the story. Timelines are also provided to assist the reader in following the stories in relation to other events that are taking place during the same time frame. In addition, maps provide the reader with an understanding of where in Afghanistan or Iraq those events occurred.

Long, Hard Road: NCO Experiences in Afghanistan and Iraq

The Federal Information Security Management Act (FISMA) was passed by Congress and signed into law by the President as part of the E-Government Act of 2002 (Pub. L. No. 107-347). The goals of FISMA include development of a comprehensive framework to protect the government’s information, operations, and assets. Providing adequate security for the Federal government’s investment in information technology (IT) is a significant undertaking. In fiscal year 2007, the Federal agencies spent $5.9 billion securing the government’s total IT investment of approximately $65 billion for the fiscal year 2007 enacted level, equating to approximately 9.2 percent of the total IT portfolio. Funds spent on IT security are used for cross-cutting and system-specific security activities including certification and accreditation (C&A) of systems, testing of controls, and user awareness training.

FY2007 Report to Congress on Implementation of the Federal Information Security Management Act of 2002