Shaun Waterman
Recent stories by Shaun Waterman
General Atomics Exec: CCA Will ‘Go Down in History’ for Putting Drones Front and Center
The Air Force has long embraced remotely piloted aircraft (RPA or drones) for over-the-horizon ISR and one-off strike missions and over two decades has come to see them as central in that role, General Atomics executive David Alexander said at a Hudson Institute event. But, ...
New Vice Chief: Air Force Failing to Exploit ‘Decisive Advantage’ Offered by Data
The Air Force’s cloud-based data lakes are becoming “data swamps,” clogged by huge troves of unstructured, uncatalogued, and therefore effectively unusable data, dumped in there by service elements overwhelmed by the huge task of curating, cutting and cataloging it. That was the message from new ...
Space Force Finally Rolls Out Cyber Standards for Commercial SATCOM Providers
The U.S. Space Force finally rolled out new cybersecurity standards for its commercial satellite vendors on May 28, saying those who could meet them might be able to charge more. First mooted more than three years ago, the Infrastructure Asset Pre-Assessment (IA-Pre) program is designed ...
GBSD Using Digital Twinning at Every Stage of The Program Lifecycle
The Air Force-managed modernization of America’s ground-based nuclear missiles has emerged as a test-bed for the use of digital twins—virtual models of real weapons systems—at every stage of the program lifecycle, its chief told the Space Symposium April 7. “What the digital environment allowed us ...
LEO Constellations’ Connectivity Offers Risks, And Rewards, Execs Warn
Many of the more remarkable capabilities of the coming generation of Low Earth Orbit (LEO) satellite constellations come from their extraordinary connectivity—they’re networked not just with receivers on the ground, but with each other, as well. But this connectivity also means an increased cyber attack ...
Cutting Edge New LEO Constellations Will Use Familiar Link 16 Tech
The Space Development Agency’s experimental Low Earth Orbit (LEO) data transport constellation will employ bleeding edge new technology in space when it starts to launch later this year. But down on the ground, SDA Director Derek M. Tournear told the Space Symposium April 6, the ...
US Must ‘Slash Costs’ to Afford Space Superiority, Raymond Says
The U.S. military can’t afford the new proliferated, multi-orbit satellite constellations it needs unless military contractors cut costs by an order of magnitude, the Space Force Chief said. “We must also slash costs,” Gen. John W. “Jay” Raymond, Space Force Chief of Space Operations, told ...
Hackers Attacked Satellite Terminals Through Management Network, Viasat Officials Say
The cyberattack that cut communications for thousands of European users of Viasat’s satellite broadband service was carried out by hackers compromising and exploiting the system that manages customer terminals, two Viasat officials told Air Force Magazine. Viasat shared information about the hack with its DOD ...
Cyber Troops Stretched Thin in Ukraine Response as NATO Builds Common Air Picture
The war in Ukraine has provided a wake-up call for U.S. military cyber defenders, who are facing hard choices about how to deploy limited resources, said Air Force Brig. Gen. Chad D. Raduege, the chief information officer of U.S. European Command.
Russian ASAT Demo Tested US Space Command’s Nascent Domain Awareness
The Russian test of an anti-satellite weapon system in 2021 gave the newly relaunched U.S. Space Command the chance to showcase its growing ability to perceive and understand the space domain, its commander Gen. James H. Dickinson said.
Service Cyber Leaders Discuss Challenges of Joint Operations
Divergent ways of thinking about time were among the more surprising challenges highlighted by cyberwar commanders from three different services in a panel discussion at the AFA Warfare Symposium.
‘Fix My Computer’
Lauren Barrett Knausberger, USAF’s chief information officer said, "There’s just not enough money to fix it all at once."
Space Force Wrestling With ‘Digital First’ Culture
The Space Force—the only military branch born in the information age—has declared itself a “digital first” service. But its leaders are still wrestling with the challenges of digital transformation and working to build a 21st century service culture, they recently told attendees at an industry ...
Space Force’s Innovation Chief Thinks Investment in the Metaverse Could Pay Off for the Military
The Space Force’s recently appointed Chief Technology and Innovation Officer Lisa A. Costa is on the lookout for emerging technologies in which investment will allow the service to overtake foreign adversaries. Costa said her work identifying key technologies was ongoing but highlighted several areas of ...
‘Fix my computer’ Cry Echos on Social Media; Air Force CIO Responds
A cry of frustration in a social media post is striking a chord with users of Air Force IT systems, and the service’s chief information officer has joined the conversation, outlining steps she’s taking to rectify the problems it identified....