US to share secret data with allies after war game debacle

UK forces able to access ‘combat cloud’ in Pentagon plan to aid co-ordination in future war with China

BRITISH soldiers would be given access to classified US data under Pentagon plans to revolutionise the way it fights in any future war with China, America’s second most senior military commander has said.

The Pentagon currently has an “overclassification problem” that is not allowing it to take enough advantage of its allies’ capabilities, and their access to real-time US intelligence would be expanded, said Gen John Hyten, vicechairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

Under the plan, allied soldiers would be able to use their personal biometrics to log into a US information “combat cloud” system during a conflict.

It follows a disastrous classified Pentagon war game, involving hundreds of senior US military personnel, in which America was crushed in a hypothetical battle with China over Taiwan.

Gen Hyten revealed that US information systems were knocked out at the start of the war game, and also that its strategy of massing forces in one place left them a sitting target. He said: “Without overstating the issue, it failed miserably. An aggressive ‘red team’ that had been studying the US for the last 20 years just ran rings around us. They knew exactly what we were going to do before we did it.

“What happens if right from the beginning information is not available? That’s the big problem we faced.”

As a result of the defeat in the classified war game in October, the US is changing guiding principles that have governed how it has conducted conflicts for decades. The overhaul is called “Expanded Maneuver” and the aim is to have it in place by 2030, Gen Hyten told the National Defense Industry Association’s Emerging Technologies Institute.

A key element to fighting the next war will be achieving “information advantage” and there should be a focus on better incorporating allies, he said.

The “combat cloud” system would share data across land, sea, air and cyber forces and be safe against hacking.

Gen Hyten said the Pentagon had a “terrible time” trying to war-game the role of allies in future conflicts, and it was essential they be given more access to classified US information.

He said: “We have to address a classification problem because we are way over-classified. Even if we do that, we still have a problem because we like to label things ‘SECRET NOFORN [No Foreign Nationals]’. Then, even our closest allies can’t get on to our basic secret system SIPRNET.” SIPRNET is the computer system the Pentagon uses to distribute classified information.

With the combat cloud, “young soldiers” in a war would be able to “hook in” and access the latest data and plans.

“That applies to allies and partners too,” said Gen Hyten. “Friends are our biggest advantage… The data has to flow everywhere.”

Gen Hyten said the US had a “shrinking advantage” over China which was “running the race fast”.

He added: “Right now we have significant threats staring us in the face, China in particular. Right now, they’re building a military capability that is enormous – new capabilities in nuclear, space, hypersonic missiles, cyber.

“If you’re competing with a nation for the future of the world, the goal has to be to have your liberal way of democracy work in the future.”