Officers Warned of Flaw in U.S. Drones in 2004

[Adsos Letter]

Source: The Wall Street Journal

Source: The Wall Street Journal
By YOCHI J. DREAZEN, AUGUST COLE and SIOBHAN GORMAN

Senior U.S. military officers working for the Joint Chiefs of Staff discussed the danger of Russia and China intercepting and doctoring video from drone aircraft in 2004, but the Pentagon didn't begin securing the signals until this year, according to people familiar with the matter.

The disclosure came after The Wall Street Journal reported insurgents in Iraq had intercepted video feeds from drones, downloading unencrypted communications from the unmanned planes.

Members of the Pentagon's Joint Staff discussed the potential security shortfall of drone feeds in 2004 and 2005, according to two officers with direct knowledge of the deliberations.

Officers at the time weren't concerned about adversaries intercepting the signals in Iraq or Afghanistan because drones weren't yet common there and militants weren't thought to be technically sophisticated.


Read more: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB126109611986796377.html

[opihimoimoi]

1. W Bush said "Watch my drive/ indecision/ gut feeling"

[napi21]

2. Listen to Rachel's show tonight. The Pentagon knew about this

since 1994. They foolishly believed that the opposition wasn't smart enough to figure out how to do it. The guest also said the big problem is not with the droans but with updating all the laptops in the field. There are thousands of laptops that get this info in Afghan, Iraq, and lots of other places. If you encript the droans, you have to get the SW to translate it in the field too of it will be useless!

[tblue]

3. I hate those things.

Thanks for the info. I TiVo'ed Rachel and will check this segment out tomorrow.

[Sherman A1]

5. Your Tax Dollars at work

More of the "Boys and their toys". Never mind the "guys in the caves can't figure this stuff out" attitude, what the H.... about Russia & China? The MIC blusters about the growing military threat from China as they modernize a bit from equipment designed in the 1950's and what a big "boogieman" they are or will be with all the money we have sent them for our cheap plastic Wal Mart wares, but they do NOTHING about securing this video link on these drones?


We really need to cut the Pentagon's budget by 75%.

:argh:

[Downwinder]

7. Military Intelligence is an oxymoron. n/t

[MarinCoUSA]

4. JahZEEzhuss! Thems thar dusky 'lil ol ragheads 'taint spo' ta be that smart!

'Dag nabbit! JETHOR!!!!!!

[grahamhgreen]

6. Perhaps the point of the war is not to win it, but to have a endless war expending billions

On expensive gear.

Even Bush said, "I don't think you can win it"

[Roland99]

8. Good thing those warmongering neocon Republicans supported our troops!

If they supported them anymore they'd *all* be dead.