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USA TODAY U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF DEFENSE SPEciAl EDiTiON

Why USA TODAY U.S. Department of Defense?

The Department of Defense (DoD) is the United States’ oldest and largest government agency, tracing its roots back to pre-revolutionary times. The mission of the Department of Defense (DoD) is to provide the military forces needed to deter war and to protect the security of our country. USA TODAY U.S. Department of Defense Special Edition will commemorate the DoD and give an inside look into the recent activities and accomplishments that are hallmarks of the Department, from protecting our freedom, to Cyber Security, to Defense Strategic Guidance, etc.

This Special Edition publication will also contain editorial about pressing issues facing the Defense community, including Warrior Care and civilian life after war, military-friendly colleges and employers, and the companies that do business within the Department of Defense.

Anticipated digital and physical copies of USA TODAY U.S. Department of Defense Special Edition are set to be distributed nationwide at military bases, DoD Headquarters, Regional Offices, and government facilities. Join us as we pay tribute to the men and women that keep our land, seas, and air safe and preserve the American Way.

What’s inside USA TODAY U.S. Department of Defense? Scheduled editorial topics include:• CYBER WARFARE Stakes are high in the battle to keep defense data safe • FORGING AHEAD Pentagon opens up all combat roles to women • TRAINING DAY Massive exercises focus on troop readiness • LASER WARFARE Putting the ‘zap’ in new weapons systems • F-35 FIGHTER New high-tech stealth jet nears the fi nish line And much, much more...

40 USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

By Adam Stone

WITH HACKERS PROBING THE vulnerabilities of military networks at an astounding rate, the Pentagon is stepping up its war on

cyber threats.“Every conflict in the world today has a

cyber dimension,” said Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers, commander of U.S. Cyber Com-mand, in testimony before a congressional subcommittee in March, adding that hackers probe military networks’ vulnerabilities “thousands of times every hour.”

In a document released in April on its

cyber strategy, the Department of Defense described its military networks as a compelling target on the cyber landscape. The military network is “a patchwork of thousands of networks across the globe, and DOD lacks the visibility and organizational structure required to defend its diffuse networks effectively,” the DOD stated.

Finding cybersecurity solutions is challenging: Bad actors in cyberspace move fast, leaving government defenders playing a perpetual game of catch-up. But DOD agencies and others in government have joined forces, breaking down old silos in order to work in closer coordination.

The push for an effective unification of

military cyber defenses began in 2009 with the launch of U.S. Cyber Command (Cybercom), a body tasked with coordinat-ing all cyber efforts of the U.S. military. That command is nearly at full strength, Rogers told a House Armed Services Committee panel in March.

“We have a target of about 6,200 personnel in 133 teams, with the majority achieving at least initial operational capabil-ity by the end of fiscal year 2016,” said Rogers, who is also director of the National Security Agency (NSA). These teams, drawn from all the armed services, are known collectively as the “cyber mission force.”

In January 2015, DOD went a step farther

with the creation of a new Joint Force Headquarters (JFHQ), which will handle the operational work of cyber defense, freeing up Cyber Command leadership to focus on strategic thinking.

The organization will “mount an active defense of (military networks), securing their key cyber terrain and being prepared to neutralize any adversary who manages to bypass their perimeter defenses,” Rogers said.

The Pentagon is backing cyber defense in a big way, with a cybersecurity budget that has grown from $3.9 billion in 2013 to an

TECH WARFAREDefense Department is on a mission to strengthen nation’s cybersecurity

CO N T I N U E D

Hawaii Air National Guardsmen evaluate

network vulnerabilities during a cybersecurity

exercise at the University of Hawaii in June.

WEAPONS & TECHNOLOGY

AIRMAN 1ST CLASS ROBERT CABUCO/U.S. AIR NATIONAL GUARD

50 USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

Lasers move from sci-fi to reality as Navy fields first fully deployed weapon

GOING FORTHE ZAP

By Adam Hadhazy

ALTHOUGH THE U.S. NAVY’S $40 million Laser Weapon System (LaWS) just looks like a backyard telescope on steroids, this piece of equipment may herald the future

of warfare — not only at sea, but in the air and on the ground.

The first weapon of its kind the Navy has ever deployed, LaWS is mounted on the deck of the USS Ponce, which is based in the Persian Gulf region. In a series of successful tests run in late 2014 after its installation, LaWS’ invisible, infrared beams of energy knocked out various unmanned targets, including a small speedboat and a drone.

LaWS, the first fully approved laser weapon system for any military department, is but one of several examples of cutting-edge, so-called

directed-energy weapons systems potentially entering service in the U.S. military over the next decade. This trend would buck those of the last half-century, when the military spent billions of dollars on research but ultimately axed numerous dead-end laser programs.

“After a multi-decade quest in search of directed-energy weapons, we’re finally on the verge of things you could put on a vehicle, deploy in combat and have them be useful,” said Paul Scharre, a senior fellow at the

MASS COMMUNICATION SPECIALIST 2ND CLASS SEAN FUREY/U.S. NAVY

The Laser Weapon System (LaWS), installed aboard the USS Ponce operating in the Persian Gulf region, is the first fully approved laser weapon system in the U.S. military.

WEAPONS & TECHNOLOGY

62 USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

THE FINAL FRONTIERArmed forces prepare to open all combat jobs to women

By Lolita C. Baldor

REMOVING THE FINAL BARRIERS that kept women from serving in combat, Secretary of Defense Ashton B. Carter announced in early December that all military

jobs would be open to women, including the most dangerous commando posts.

The Pentagon can’t successfully defend the nation by excluding half the popula-tion from combat roles, said Carter.

“We are a joint force, and I have decided to make a decision which applies to the entire force,” Carter told a news confer-ence Dec. 3. “There will be no exceptions.”

Carter said the decision was part of his commitment to build a force of the

future. Any man or woman who meets the standards should be able to serve, Carter said, and he gave the armed services 30 days to submit plans to make the change. The services have until April 1 to accom-modate women in all roles.

“While at the end of the day this will make us a better and stronger force, there still will be problems to fix and challenges

LANCE CPL. DEVAN K. GOWANS/U.S. MARINE CORPS

THE TROOPS

213,600JOBS WERE CLOSED TO

WOMEN PRIOR TO DEC. 3

Lance Cpl. Alyse Griffis, a landing

support specialist, provides security as part of a drill in the Basic Combat Skills

Course at Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in Cali-

fornia in November.

52 USA TODAY SPECIAL EDITION

THE TROOPS

TRAINING DAYSLarge-scale exercises take aim at troop readiness

COMBAT-READY TROOPS DON’T MATERIALIZE overnight. Just ask any of the soldiers, Marines, airmen and sailors who

participate in extensive and inten-sive military exercises at home and abroad as part of their training.

In 2015, numerous maneuvers were conducted, many of them in cooperation with allied forces and all of them with the goal of enhancing readiness. From California and Texas to Spain and Japan , U.S. troops have crossed the country and circled the globe to participate in military exercises designed to prepare them for any eventuality.

JETT LOE/LAS CRUCES (N.M.) SUN-NEWS

Troops participating in the Network Integration Evaluation 16.1 (NIE) exercise in September at White Sands Missile Range’s Space Harbor in New Mexico used a variety of technologies to communicate. The inflated sphere behind them contains a satellite dish. The exercise, which brought together U.S. and allied forces, focused on both experimentation and readiness.

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Where can you find USA TODAY U.S. Department of Defense?In addition to nationwide distribution to military bases, DoD Headquarters, Regional Offices, and government facilities; there will also be a free digital link sent to thousands of DoD officials and locations throughout the country.

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