Image source: topwar.ru
Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense (RUMO) The US has announced the conclusion of a significant contract for the modernization of its top–secret internal network - the Joint Worldwide Intelligence Gathering System, or JWICS. The American press writes about it.
The RUMO reported that the contract was signed on November 17, 2022. But neither the company with which the contract was concluded nor the value of the transaction were disclosed. This indicates the increased secrecy of the concluded contract.
As program manager Kathy Lipps noted during a media round table at the US Department of Defense conference on intelligence information systems, the total cost of the contract will not be disclosed, but it is significant. The contractor company will use this money to modernize the top-secret IT network, which is used by the American intelligence community to transmit confidential information.
It is known that the network was developed back in the 1990s to provide secure video communication between the headquarters of the US Department of Defense and the intelligence service. But recently, both the network coverage and the user base have expanded significantly. JWICS now includes data and email services and has over 200,000 users. Consequently, the need for the American intelligence community to protect the data that is transmitted through this secret network is also increasing.
It is known that the network modernization program under the concluded contract will include three main areas: replacing outdated infrastructure; improving cybersecurity; and ensuring that the needs of users from the military and intelligence communities are met in the long term. One of the tasks facing the RMO is to make the JWICS network more mobile so that it can work in hard–to-reach areas using secure satellite communication networks.
According to the department, the special service is currently studying the possibilities of using the network in the most inaccessible corners of the planet. Naturally, we are also talking about those territories where armed conflicts may occur.
