Military Communications and Information Technology: A Trusted ...

Chapter 1: Concepts and Solutions for Communications and Information Systems
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One example would be a custom-made real-time transport protocol which works
regardless of physical layer, but may not deliver the real-time intent of the protocol.
Table I summarises the benefits of open systems.
TABLE I. Benefits of Open Systems
Benefit
Standard Interfaces
Security Assessment
Network Design & Planning
Spectrum Management
Competition
Increased Modularity
Description
Sharing data between separate technologies is possible by providing
standard interfaces to manufacturers.
Open standards allow the buyer to understand and better mitigate
the risks.
Planning wide area networks and managing loading is simplified
if interfaces of different networks are open.
Efficiently exploiting spatial reuse must be underpinned by information
on interference characteristics.
Proprietary advantages can be objectively compared between
vendors.
Modular systems can be bought that fit requirements and are
cost effective. These can simply be replaced when required.
B. Risks
The adoption of open systems is thought to be likely to provide both technical
and operational benefits, but a careful understanding of the risk is required to
avoid compromise of operational security.
There are a number of potential barriers to the adoption of open systems
in defense. The shift to assessing and adopting a broad range of technologies will
place greater burden on the system integrator, and this role has largely been filled
by industry suppliers. This would be a highly complex task, requiring not only
the detailed technical management of systems but also the evaluation of competing
technologies and vendors for each new system component, and would require
a trusted partner to fill this role.
In defense, there are some cultural constraints to openness, based on how things
have always been done; technical details of military systems are typically kept to
a ‘need-to-know’ basis, partly to reduce the possibility of vulnerability discovery
through a security-by-obscurity approach, and partly because Intellectual Property
rights of supplying organisations must be protected. Often, the business models
of contractors does not support the information sharing necessary for open systems;
therefore a culture shift is essential to maximize the effectiveness the military achieves
from off the shelf components. Public release of technical specifications may lead to
an ‘arms race’ of vulnerability discovery and defensive patching; the military is likely
to be an attractive target to a range of attackers. There are some situations where
openness may never be wanted – for example, where equipment from foreign allies