ELECTRONIC WEAPONS: Vulnerabilities Without End July 4, 2021: Several years ago, in response to staff complaints, the CIA decided to replace its custom-made encrypted Fax machines with an encrypted email system called Gray Magic. The encrypted fax machines were mainly used for the CIA to communicate with its many contractors who developed and produced new equipment. While these special FAX machines were secure (difficult to intercept and/or decode) they were clumsy to use, especially as consumer and commercial email systems began to appear that enabled users to easily share information and speed up and improve the development process. As CIA and contractor personnel became familiar with these “collaborative email systems” they began to demand a new secure communications system to replace the secure but clumsy fax terminals.
US Army demonstrates MUOS capability for tactical radios
03 May 2021
by Carlo Munoz
US Army tactical radio and networked communications specialists demonstrated, for the first time, the ability to integrate Mobile User Objective System (MUOS) capability to mounted and dismounted radio platforms.
The implementation of MUOS capability into the army’s tactical manpack radio system variants “provided additional beyond the line-of-sight communications … and leverage the ability to fully dominate both the data and voice spectrum”, during the exercise, said Colonel Rob Ryan, chief of operations for Army Future Command’s Network Cross-Functional Team. The MUOS demonstration took place during recent exercises at the Joint Readiness Training Center in Fort Polk with units from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division.