THE DROPZONE
Panetta Warns for Cyber-War Threat on U.S. pg. 7
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Table of Contents 2012 Homecoming Events - Page 4 Alarm for U.S. Cyber-War Threat - Page 7
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Table of Contents Aerospace Club Car Wash - Page 12 B-2 Bomer to get Upgrades - Page 14
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2012 Homecoming Event Cadet Webb The homecoming event was full of excitement this year for the Aerospace club. With the parade, recruiting event, and the car smash happening simultaneously, nearly all the cadets were actively participating. I had the honor of leading my fellow cadets in the Color Guard; which lead the parade and proudly represented the Aerospace club here at Charleston Southern University. This was a great experience for all who took part in the color guard. We practiced many hours after class throughout the weeks to prepare for this event. However, all that practice was well worth it. The recruiting event was also important because we got to express to the public what the Aerospace club is all about. This is a great time for possible future cadets to mingle with the present cadets and absorb what it’s like to be a part of Detachment 772. This was easy to do over a fun game of corn hole. We also handed out free T-shirts, lanyards, pencils, and a lot of other Air Force items.
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The car smash was a big hit and really stole the show. People from all ages came to take a swing, spray paint, and spectate as one after another took part in demolishing the car. Many different people came out to take a hack including the President of CSU, Dr. Hunter, and Bucky the Buccaneer. The color guard, recruiting event, and car smash were great ways to show Charleston Southern students and others that Detachment 772 is a special group of individuals dedicated to developing leaders and always looking for those who have what it takes to join our family.
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Rise of Alarm for Cyber-War Threat!!
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Defense Secretary Leon Panetta issued what he said is a “clarion call” Thursday for Americans to wake up to the growing threat posed by cyber war. “The whole point of this is that we simply don’t just sit back and wait for a goddamn crisis to happen,” Panetta told Time. “In this country we tend to do that, and that’s a concern.” Panetta came to the nation’s financial hub – New York City – to issue his battle cry. The city is the brightest bulls-eye on the American target for foes wishing to cripple the U.S. economy with computerized “worms” and “malware” that can infect computer networks via the Internet or insider sabotage. “It is the kind of capability that can basically take down a power grid, take down a water system, take down a transportation system, take down a financial system,” he told Time editors. “We are now in a world in which countries are developing the capability to engage in the kind of attacks that can virtually paralyze a country.” Aware his alarm might be drowned out by Thursday night’s vice presidential debate, Panetta stopped by the magazine’s midtown offices Thursday afternoon to detail his concerns to a Time editorial board gathering. “Everybody knows what their iPhone can do, everybody knows what their computer can do, but I think there are too few people out there who understand the potential for the kind of attack that could cripple this country,” Panetta said. “The American people just have to be made aware of that.” 7
Panetta cited a series of “disruptive” attacks against U.S. companies, and detailed the far more serious so-called “Shamoon” virus attack on the Saudi Arabian state oil company, Aramco. That August strike wiped out 30,000 of the companies computers. It created the image of a U.S. flag in flames on the infected computers and “it basically burned [the computers] up,” Panetta said. It marked, he said, a significant escalation in cyber warfare. Beyond merely shutting down enemy systems, the U.S. military is crafting a witch’s brew of stealth, manipulation and falsehoods designed to lure the enemy into believing he is in charge of his forces when, in fact, they have been secretly enlisted as allies of the U.S. military. The U.S. already has deployed a cyber-war offensive technology against Iran’s nuclear program, the New York Times has reported. But the U.S. is also a target. Panetta said “potential aggressors” are probing for weaknesses in the nation’s cyber defenses. “They’re beginning to exploit transportation systems, power systems, energy systems,” he said. “Our concern is that in doing that kind of exploration, they’re doing it for purposes of determining how could they attack.” The defense chief added that the Pentagon’s still-fuzzy rules of engagement for waging war in cyberspace are being tightened, and will allow the Pentagon to defend other U.S. networks, in and out of government. Such technology isn’t cheap: major defense contractors see cyber defense as the next post9/11 money pot (annual cyber spending is about $12 billion). 8
In his speech Thursday night before Business Executives for National Security from the hangar deck of the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, Panetta warned of cyber terrorists derailing U.S. passenger trains – as well as trains laden with lethal chemicals. He told Time’s editors that both Congress and U.S. businesses have been hesitant to pass legislation – and make the investments necessary – to defend the nation’s critical cyber infrastructure from attack. Part of the reason for speaking out, he said, is to generate public pressure on lawmakers to act.
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That’s one reason President Obama designated October as National Cyber Security Awareness Month. Private-sector companies wonder if the government is exaggerating the threat. They seem willing to wait for an “electronic Pearl Harbor” to justify the investments they would need to make to protect their info-infrastructure. But Panetta and others fear that could be too late. “Government depends on these networks to defend this country,” Army General Keith Alexander, chief of U.S. Cyber Command, told the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Oct. 4. “And it depends on the power grid to operate. So we have a vested interest in making sure that that works.” Panetta said his prior job – running the CIA – gave him a close-up look at the damage a cagey cyber-warrior could do to the U.S. “I can tell you from my old job, the level of expertise that I saw – and I don’t consider myself to be schooled in the art of knowing what the hell cyber systems [do] and how it all works –- I’m not close to being there — but I saw people that are extremely bright, extremely able,” he said “They can develop the kind of malware that has tremendous potential to bring down systems very effectively,” Panetta continued, making clear the U.S. is exploring offensive cyber weapons. ”Frankly, in my past capacity, having seen that potential — and now, as secretary of defense, I’m now beginning to see how that is beginning to get in to the arena of other countries that are saying: `Whoa, this has got some great potential.”
Source: Mark Thomson—Time U.S. 10
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Aerospace Club Car Wash Cadet Bradshaw On Saturday, October 6th, the cadets of Detachment 772 participated in car wash fundraiser at the Auto Zone on US- 17A. The cadets weren’t afraid to get a little dirty to ensure the customers of Summerville, SC were going to leave with the cleanest cars possible. There was quite a flood of customers for the car-washers, especially due to the enthusiasm of those standing at the street light with a sign advertising the event. The cadets arrived at 0930 to set up the supplies. Despite an initial shortage of hoses, the car wash was ready to begin by the scheduled time of 1000. Throughout the event, there would be two cadets standing at US-17A using their charisma to attract more cars to the wash while the rest washed and dried the customers’ cars to the best of their abilities. Master Sergeant Rogers and Captain Clark both stopped by the detachment’s fundraiser to have their cars washed. By 1400, the car wash was wrapped up. Cadet Gandy and Master Sergeant Rogers kindly helped hose the rest of the cadets off during clean-up time, beginning a water fight amongst the cadets participating. 12
The car wash fundraiser was definitely a success. The wing raised about one hundred and fifty dollars. Cadet Webb, the cadet coordinator for the fundraiser, comments, “The car wash was a great success for the Aerospace Club here at CSU. Yes, we made money but it wasn’t about the money at all. It was about bringing the club together as a unit and really molding long lasting relationships. Besides, who doesn’t love dumping a bucket of water all over your friends?”
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B-2 Bomber to get Upgrades
The U.S. Air Force fleet of B-2 stealth bombers will be getting an upgrade, courtesy of a new contract with Northrop Grumman. The $108 million contract, awarded at the end of September, covers new software and hardware that increases the processing power of the plane, creating a more advanced communications suite. While Northrop is the prime contractor for installation, the parts for the upgrade were designed with a number of partners. The upgrade will include a processing unit designed by Lockheed Martin and a disk drive unit developed by Honeywell Defense and Space Electronic Systems. To support the new processing units, Northrop is also installing a network of fiber-optic cables inside the bomber. “Every current and future upgrade program for the jet will benefit from the quantum leap in processing power and data handling capacity provided by this new hardware and software,” Ron Naylor, Northrop’s head of B-2 modernization, said in a statement. 14
First flown in 1989, the B-2 is a key part of the nuclear triad. There are 20 B-2s in the U.S. fleet, with 19 at Whiteman Air Force Base in Missouri and one used for flight testing at Edwards Air Force Base in California. Air Force officials have pushed for development of a long-range bomber, with new Air Force Chief of Staff Mark Welsh labeling it as one of his key programs. Aaron Mehta—AirForceTimes.com
Image Source: Defense.gov
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“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader. � -John Quincy Adams 16