DaJudge
April 24th, 2008, 04:04 PM
US Sells Secret Anti-IED Tech to Iraq
April 24, 2008
Military.com|by Christian Lowe
The U.S. has taken the unprecedented -- and some would say questionable
-- step of selling some of its most sophisticated counter-IED technology to
the Iraqi government, equipping specialized police, military and interior
ministry troops with electronic systems designed to detonate roadside
bombs and jam triggering signals.
Officials from Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq announced
April 20 that its foreign military sales office had sold the Iraqis 411
Lockheed Martin-built "Symphony" counter-IED systems. A few of the
Symphony systems are already up and running on Iraqi government
vehicles, the command said, with the rest due to be installed by the end of
the summer.
"This system will afford the Iraqi security forces long-term, independent
counter-IED protection and relieves coalition troops from this responsibility
so the latter may perform other tasks," said Army Lt. Col. Will Flucker, the
command's Symphony program manager, in an April 20 release. "This system
is a critical part of security transition from the coalition forces to the
government of Iraq and integral to developing [Iraqi security forces] into a
long-term partner in the global war on terror (http://www.military.com/news/article/us-sells-secret-anti-ied-tech-to-iraq.html?ESRC=eb.nl#)."
But some might see handing over America's most sophisticated and top
secret counter-IED technology to Iraqi ministries, whose loyalty to Baghdad
is less than certain, as extremely risky. Electronic jammers like the
Symphony have saved American lives in a war where the roadside bomb is
the number-one killer, and the possibility that an Iraqi official could hand
over the technology to an insurgent or unfriendly government is all too real.
"You have to assume that about the third one that we ship over there is
going to go straight out the back door," said John Pike, director of the
Globalsecurity.org, a Washington-area defense research group. "We have a
fundamental dilemma here in trying to indigenize these security forces."
Due to its highly-classified technology, Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Ellen
Mitchell refused to discuss Symphony's capabilities or the Iraqi sale. A 2007
Pentagon (http://www.military.com/news/article/us-sells-secret-anti-ied-tech-to-iraq.html?ESRC=eb.nl#) contract announcement called the Symphony a "programmable,
radio-frequency IED defeat system that is vehicle mounted."
The Army's Flucker acknowledged the risk that the technology could wind
up in the wrong hands, saying the $51 million deal had been inked only after
"numerous technical and administrative delays."
"Most of the administrative hurdles are related to providing effective
technology to the partner nation while ensuring such technology is not
compromised and does not proliferate beyond Iraq's borders," Flucker wrote
Military.com in an email response to questions.
The Iraqi system will incorporate anti-tamper technology along with a fill or
operating code that periodically expires and must be renewed in order for
the system to operate, and the use of "trusted agents" to handle, control
and distribute the operating code, Flucker added.
And that accounts for part of the lengthy "administrative" delays that kept
the Symphony -- which costs about $78,000 per system -- out of Iraqi
hands for nearly two years.
"This requires a combination of technical and administrative controls that
require testing and refinement before they can be implemented with a high
degree of confidence," Flucker said.
Pike said that electronic jamming of IEDs is a problem of physics -- there
are a limited number of frequencies used to trigger IEDs and the jammers
attack all of them. So a Symphony winding up in the hands of the
insurgents would have limited utility.
"Whatever waveform it is using to jam ... will by definition be disclosed to
the enemy when you turn it on," Pike said, adding that measures to prevent
tampering or unauthorized use seem to work.
"I think that they are secure at least to the extent that Iran can't do
anything about it," he said.
The Symphony systems will be doled out to Iraqi special forces, ministry of
defense officials and interior ministry troops -- including Iraqi army, police,
national police and explosive ordnance disposal units. The deal includes a
nine-month support contract from Lockheed Martin to "ensure the units
function properly and the Iraqis can properly utilize the systems to their full
advantage," officials said.
Aside from protecting Iraqi officials, troops and police from roadside bomb
ambushes, Flucker hopes the deal will help get more U.S. troops off the
road by freeing them up from the dangerous and tedious duties of convoy
escort.
"Affording counter-IED protection to the [Iraqi security forces] has been a
partnership endeavor from the outset," Flucker added. "Given the theater
IED threat, the [government of Iraq] and the coalition have wanted to
make this happen for some time now."
April 24, 2008
Military.com|by Christian Lowe
The U.S. has taken the unprecedented -- and some would say questionable
-- step of selling some of its most sophisticated counter-IED technology to
the Iraqi government, equipping specialized police, military and interior
ministry troops with electronic systems designed to detonate roadside
bombs and jam triggering signals.
Officials from Multi-National Security Transition Command-Iraq announced
April 20 that its foreign military sales office had sold the Iraqis 411
Lockheed Martin-built "Symphony" counter-IED systems. A few of the
Symphony systems are already up and running on Iraqi government
vehicles, the command said, with the rest due to be installed by the end of
the summer.
"This system will afford the Iraqi security forces long-term, independent
counter-IED protection and relieves coalition troops from this responsibility
so the latter may perform other tasks," said Army Lt. Col. Will Flucker, the
command's Symphony program manager, in an April 20 release. "This system
is a critical part of security transition from the coalition forces to the
government of Iraq and integral to developing [Iraqi security forces] into a
long-term partner in the global war on terror (http://www.military.com/news/article/us-sells-secret-anti-ied-tech-to-iraq.html?ESRC=eb.nl#)."
But some might see handing over America's most sophisticated and top
secret counter-IED technology to Iraqi ministries, whose loyalty to Baghdad
is less than certain, as extremely risky. Electronic jammers like the
Symphony have saved American lives in a war where the roadside bomb is
the number-one killer, and the possibility that an Iraqi official could hand
over the technology to an insurgent or unfriendly government is all too real.
"You have to assume that about the third one that we ship over there is
going to go straight out the back door," said John Pike, director of the
Globalsecurity.org, a Washington-area defense research group. "We have a
fundamental dilemma here in trying to indigenize these security forces."
Due to its highly-classified technology, Lockheed Martin spokeswoman Ellen
Mitchell refused to discuss Symphony's capabilities or the Iraqi sale. A 2007
Pentagon (http://www.military.com/news/article/us-sells-secret-anti-ied-tech-to-iraq.html?ESRC=eb.nl#) contract announcement called the Symphony a "programmable,
radio-frequency IED defeat system that is vehicle mounted."
The Army's Flucker acknowledged the risk that the technology could wind
up in the wrong hands, saying the $51 million deal had been inked only after
"numerous technical and administrative delays."
"Most of the administrative hurdles are related to providing effective
technology to the partner nation while ensuring such technology is not
compromised and does not proliferate beyond Iraq's borders," Flucker wrote
Military.com in an email response to questions.
The Iraqi system will incorporate anti-tamper technology along with a fill or
operating code that periodically expires and must be renewed in order for
the system to operate, and the use of "trusted agents" to handle, control
and distribute the operating code, Flucker added.
And that accounts for part of the lengthy "administrative" delays that kept
the Symphony -- which costs about $78,000 per system -- out of Iraqi
hands for nearly two years.
"This requires a combination of technical and administrative controls that
require testing and refinement before they can be implemented with a high
degree of confidence," Flucker said.
Pike said that electronic jamming of IEDs is a problem of physics -- there
are a limited number of frequencies used to trigger IEDs and the jammers
attack all of them. So a Symphony winding up in the hands of the
insurgents would have limited utility.
"Whatever waveform it is using to jam ... will by definition be disclosed to
the enemy when you turn it on," Pike said, adding that measures to prevent
tampering or unauthorized use seem to work.
"I think that they are secure at least to the extent that Iran can't do
anything about it," he said.
The Symphony systems will be doled out to Iraqi special forces, ministry of
defense officials and interior ministry troops -- including Iraqi army, police,
national police and explosive ordnance disposal units. The deal includes a
nine-month support contract from Lockheed Martin to "ensure the units
function properly and the Iraqis can properly utilize the systems to their full
advantage," officials said.
Aside from protecting Iraqi officials, troops and police from roadside bomb
ambushes, Flucker hopes the deal will help get more U.S. troops off the
road by freeing them up from the dangerous and tedious duties of convoy
escort.
"Affording counter-IED protection to the [Iraqi security forces] has been a
partnership endeavor from the outset," Flucker added. "Given the theater
IED threat, the [government of Iraq] and the coalition have wanted to
make this happen for some time now."