Glenn Ignazio is currently President of Integrated Intelligent Ideas, "IX3 Inc.". IX3 Inc. is a company that offers corporations, investment groups and solution provider's effective business development, subject matter expertise and marketing consulting services to connect with classified and unclassified defense, military and intelligence agencies. IX3 Inc. effectively connects technology to the operational defense and intelligence requirements.
Glenn led the Global Defense, Government and Intelligence Solutions Marketing team at SGI. He was responsible for SGI's international marketing efforts and strategically positioning SGI technology for Homeland Security, Intelligence, Ballistic Missile Defense, Imagery, Simulation, Command and Control Systems, Mission Rehearsal and Network Enabled Operations.
Glenn has presented keynote speeches and consulted for dignitaries such as the former Assistant Secretary Of Defense for Command, Control, Communications, Computers, Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance (C4ISR), the Prime Minister of Malaysia, Defense Ministers of Singapore and Italy, The Information Minister of Korea, The Japanese Defense Agency, and The Air War College of Italy. He has made media appearances on NBC, KTVU, Silicon Valley Business News, the History Channel, Southeast Asian Media and Asahi Television of Japan. His written press coverage has been in the Silicon Valley Business Journal, the Washington Journal and Chosun IIbo of Korea.
Glenn is an experienced Special Operations and Combat Rescue pilot with the Air Force and the California Air National Guard. He has 6 combat tours of duty in Northern and Southern Iraq and flew in Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. During Operation Iraqi Freedom he participated as a war planner. He coordinated efforts between the U.S. Air Force, Marines, Army, Navy Special Warfare, British amphibious and Special Air Service teams regarding the ground order of battle, special operations and combat rescue. During Operation Enduring Freedom he was sent to the Joint Task Force Southwest Asia (JTF-SWA) Combined Air operations Center (CAOC) and assisted in planning the special instructions (SPINS) for combat rescue and special operations in Afghanistan. He has conducted dozens of life saving rescues and has been decorated with numerous medals such as the prestigious Air Medal, Aerial Achievement Medal, Air Force Commendation Medal and Coast Guard Special Operations Citation just to name a few. He is a Combat Tactics Instructor and has studied force employment and joint force operations at the Naval Fighter Weapons School and the Naval Strike Warfare Center. His military experience encompasses strategic and tactical force employment, combat rescue, special operations and intelligence operations around the world.
Glenn has an Executive MBA from Pepperdine University, a BS in Aeronautics from Embry Riddle University and an A.S. in Electronic Systems from the College of the Air Force.
Rapid, Deployable Systems for Distributed Mission Operations
September 23, 2004
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The military and government agencies, with lessons learned from the Iraqi and Afghanistan conflicts, are looking for the quickest and easiest way to deploy and distribute critical intelligence and mission operations. Each and every time a major action takes place the recurring rumblings are of strained air and sea lift operations. For example, the Commercial Reserve Air Fleet (CRAF) provides airlift when the military needs to supplement their own organic airlift. These are the 747, 777's, etc. from various airlines in the U.S. that operate in time of dire need. The request and requirement for smaller footprints (size, weight and power) of deployable troops and units has become increasingly important.
Our biggest challenge today is moving vast amounts of equipment from
point A to point B on a very short notice. Most people don't appreciate what is involved in a major deployment. To put this in perspective we started with 250,000 and we currently have 130,000 troops deployed in Iraq.
In a business environment imagine you run a large corporation with various facilities in the US and around the world. Your CEO tells you to immediately downsize your operations in the U.S. You move 250,000 employees to new facilities on the other side of the world. 6-12 months later, another change, you need to relocate 50% of your newly built organization back to where they originally came from. Sound familiar? A corporation would find moving just the IT infrastructure itself to be a logistical nightmare.
But this is exactly the problem we face in deploying to Iraq, Afghanistan, etc. In the military we have to be prepared to make deployments like this overnight. Just from a logistical standpoint space and ease of deployment are critical factors for the military.
During contingencies, the capability to provide support and mission critical information, from a distance, could greatly reduce personnel, equipment, computers, etc. occupying vital air and sea lift space. More importantly, this would decrease the number of personnel in harms way. In peace time, operators will deploy to exercise areas; however the support functions can stay in garrison preserving supplies, morale levels and financial reserves. This saves time, money and simulates the distance that would occur in wartime operations. In wartime you will be able to send operators forward with the same pristine mission support mechanisms as there are in the rear echelon. A Real Network Enabled Solution.
Discussing this subject may be perceived as a theory; however the technology for this type of deployment is real and is being fielded as you read this article. The first level of technology deals with how and what the individuals will be using to interface with Command and Control, Intelligence (gathering and disseminating) and other distributed mission operation systems. The second level is where the information is gathered and processed (Central Data Center). The third level is where the Data is "Fused" with other sensor systems and then displayed in an immersive visualization (graphical) format. The communication is bi-directional, whereas the personnel are not just entering information (1 way); they are also utilizing the end product which includes the fusion of other sensor nodes. Information in; Solutions Out. This networking process is at the heart of Collaborative Engagements, Effects Based Operations and Predicted Battle-space Awareness.
The important thing is the companies that are making this happen in the Defense, Intelligence and Homeland Security space. A company such as Tadpole Computer has many laptop platforms operating Linux, Solaris and Microsoft that make the initial interface structure mobile. One of their products called Bullfrog is a powerful mobile server the size of a laptop. You can literally have the members of a deployed, remote Command and Control, Intelligence or Mission Planning Cell hand carry the system as their personal laptops. Support functions can be reduced where the entire network can be configured before they step on a plane. Upon arrival, the individuals turn on the laptop and you have a rapid, deployed wired or wireless network. Another advantage that they bring to the table is a secure thin client platform. This is important in functions such as Special Operations. With thin client technology the device (their laptop or a PDA) operates larger computer systems miles away. This technology is very interesting for deployed operations. The system operates as if you are interfacing with a normal fully functional computer; however you are operating large computer systems by remote control. The advantage is that if you are captured or compromised the user or system manager can cut the communication link and no information is resident on the thin client laptop or PDA. Since you were running by remote control the information is in the central data center, not on the portable device. A solution that delivers critical information to and from the field that is mobile, secure and can not be compromised. Additionally, any information the user has input or processed can be accessed by others in case of capture or compromise. If we used traditional PC technology or architecture, all of the information on the war fighter's or agent's laptop would have been in the hands of the enemy and not accessible by friendly forces or agencies.
The next question that I usually receive, is how can you possibly secure these networks that are wireless? Currently military voice and data communications are secured from platform to platform and satellite to systems, the same technology is used on these deployable commercial off the shelf (COTS) systems. In conjunction with Sun Microsystems's Trusted Solaris and Tadpole's mobile products the information can be allocated between unclassified, secret and top secret on the same network. These certified systems are perfect for deploying and supporting remote operations.
When the deployed networks are connected back to a major C4ISR center, you fuse them with other sensors (IMINT, ELINT, HUMINT, etc) and you create an Integrated Combined Operating Picture (ICOP). Fusing and visualizing is a specialty of SGI. SGI's history of complex visualization and graphics systems enables the war fighter or agent to understand complex environments with immersive graphics that are easy to understand. SGI's specialty has been in the higher level of infrastructure for military, defense and government systems. One of SGI's solutions, SAN (Storage Area Networking) and CXFS, allows the connection and complex processing of information from numerous and different operating systems or networks. SGI also has a certified trusted system called "Trusted IRIX" which enables the movement of unclassified to Secret and Top Secret information within the same system. The information in-flow from sensors is as critical as the out-flow (dissemination) of the ICOP. The multi tiered approach offers the DOD and other agencies the opportunity to reduce risk (hacking, viruses, etc) that you have with 1 single Operating System. Lastly, this is a solution that connects the war fighter/agent to the main command or analysis node collaboratively.
By combing systems together heterogeneously these companies are able to fuse and visualize data from Solaris, Linux, Irix, or Microsoft operating systems. Once formidable adversaries in the world of technology must now integrate their solutions seamlessly for the benefit of government, defense and intelligence customers worldwide. With the never ending threat of terrorism it appears that the integration of operations between countries is imperative. As we have seen demonstrated with incredible success, coalition forces have found there operations successful by utilizing each others military strength and mitigating their weaknesses. It appears to hold true with the technology businesses that are delivering solutions to these global operations.
