Because Islamic militants have managed to decipher information from U.S. military drones in Iraq this year, it is imperative that the United States make sure that information it gathers from its drones and other high-tech data gatherers is encrypted.
It is surprising that the Pentagon didn't begin securing the information from these aircraft until earlier this year. Even though there was no adverse consequences from the Islamic militants downloading the data, it has the potential to cause havoc to our defense during these dangerous times.
In fact, according to the Wall Street Journal, the Scan Eagle, a military drone made by The Boeing Company's Insitu Inc., is used a lot in Iraq and Afghanistan, and has no encryption. The Journal's article says Insitu is working on encryption for the video data the Scan Eagle gathers. Maybe the company should hire an intelligent, enterprising 15-year-old to find an encryption solution?
We jest, of course, but this is a serious matter. To us it is just ridiculous that in this high-tech age the Pentagon can't ensure that all the important data it gathers is secure.
Another military data gatherer, the Remotely Operated Video Enhanced Receiver (ROVER) is not encrypted, military officials told the Journal. Rep. Norm Dicks, D-Wash, a leader in the House Appropriations Defense Subcommittee, plans to hold hearings on how to better secure the data U.S. drones gather.
War today is highly technological, and along the world's military hot spots, the skies are full of data-gatherers. We shouldn't be surprised that our enemy is doing its best to try to increase its informational technology skills and read our data to achieve parity.
So far, we've been lucky. Despite the data breach, it looks as if no gains have been realized by the enemy. And our military seems determined to plug potential leaks through encryption.
However, we must make it a priority that drones and other data-gathers be securely encrypted. Our soldiers deserve the best protection possible while they fight to keep us free.
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