Page 37 - 21st Century Defense 100th Anniversary WW1

nyone who joined the Continental Navy in 1775
was almost certain to be assigned to a ship
A designed to fight against the British in
America’s war for independence. Today a US Navy sailor
might never see a ship. Warfare methods have evolved
dramatically, and 21st century sailors have changed with
them as technology becomes the driving force behind
military dominance.
One of the biggest challenges facing the navy today is
cyberwarfare. The navy is meeting the challenge through
its Cyberwarfare Engineering (CWE) program. Whereas
its vessels once relied on wind and sails to propel them,
today’s warships depend on complex computer networks,
the tactical systems they control, and the critical
infrastructures they support. In that vein, the navy
recently took delivery of three supercomputers to
support advanced weapons capabilities and provide high
reliability for its global weather modeling requirements.

In ordering supercomputers, the navy is looking more
toward the future than at the present. Supercomputers
can have applications in cybersecurity, but the days when
that becomes a reality from a military standpoint are
ahead. Applications such as using them to analyze threat
data, for instance, are still in their initial stages, and are
not projected to be operational anytime soon. But the
navy is looking toward the horizon, not behind. Today’s
use of tomorrow’s technology can only make it stronger
when that horizon is reached.

Of course, the use of state-of-the-art technology does
not come without a price. These advanced computer and
tactical systems are the likely targets of enemies who are
more interested in stealing information or sabotaging
capabilities than they are in sinking individual ships.
Sinking one ship may not alter the course of a war. Sinking
one software system via cyberwarfare can. That change
in warfighting has opened new opportunities for 21st
century sailors and new challenges for the navy.

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