Once upon a time, these bad guys flew some airplanes into some buildings....

In the witch-hunt blame-game that ensued, it was discovered that some critical information was not being shared as fast as it should. So, with typical government overreaction, the concept "need to share" was bantered about.

Everyone had to have access to everything all the time. That would solve all our problems. Inundate analysts with a firehose of data. That's the ticket.

So this resulted in E-3's having single access connectivity to many databases. ... to make it easy for analysts to query, retrieve, and download massive amounts of data from a single workstation... all that data in one location. Need to know was presumed and need to share took precedence.

All it needed was an enabled DvD writer and an operator with no morals...

This is the classic paradox with classified information.

1. Keep it compartmentalized and one loser can only steal so much but the good guys also can't get access

2. Keep it un-compartmentalized and the good guys will have an easier time gaining access but one loser can steal 250,000 documents.

Both have risks and benefits. With Manning, we just experienced a big risk of an overreacting "need to share" attitude.

What is needed is a disciplined moderate policy which still establishes need to know but at the same time allows this need to know to be transferred faster than in the past.

We need a system where people who truly have a need to know can get that information faster and easier but at the same time still keep people who don't have a need to know from getting access.

We have been trying to get it right for almost 150 years. It is not an easy problem to solve.

Platapus,

What did you do in the Air Force again? I'm guessing at one time you had security clearance greater then Secret. :O:

Moderate policy? Disciplined? Ain't seen that in awhile. Erg. Personally, I still believe the system that was in place prior to September 11, 2001 was sufficient. It was lax practices within the system that caused failure. Given the technological adnvances since, we have the means to transfer data quickly and efficiently without opening so many doors and windows, allowing an overall increase of eyes on the material. History has proven that the most stringent of background checks can't keep secrets secret when you expotentially increase the number of people allowed access. But then, since all it takes is one ....

Part of the problem is the ability to store whole file cabinets full of classified documents on a tiny thumb drive.

You know, you really changed my mind on this whole issue with that post. Well done, Plat.

Well obviously because having "female genetalia" [sic] = being weak, spineless, and too touchy-feely to see that True Manly Justice gets well and properly done.

This must be why only the male of the species can give birth, because them wimminz with all their frail little lady parts are just too fragile and sensitive to endure it. :shifty:






I'm just sayin'.

Rgr that...onward and upward.

There's a great Betty White quote but I can't repeat it here.

Manning deserves due process but I cannot help thinking of the classic Summery Trial (Captain's Mast to the Navy types) and the Old Man shouting out from behind his desk "March the guilty b-----d in Sergeant Major" so the thing could get started. Hard to get away with that sort of thing these days.

The defence seems driven by two considerations, the infamous helicopter attack footage and the document classification process. From what little I know about the UCMJ they will have a really uphill fight establishing relevance.

No comments as to the former but even though intelligence agencies routinely over classify material, I cannot see why this should have any bearing on the case whatsoever. The mere fact that the material was classified should make unauthorized distribution a crime. The why was well beyond Manning's pay grade.

Anecdotally, when I worked in Operations, the Intelligence gang across the hall used to drive us to distraction which their obsession for classifying open source material. The unit had a subscription to the English language edition of the Red Star, sort of a Soviet Star's and Stripes or the CF's Sentinel and the Int guys would cull articles from the magazine for inclusion in the unit INTSUM's with the extracts themselves classified as secret. This, even though the Red Star editions were left in the coffee room where they were freely read by anyone in the headquarters building including visitors. I would imagine similar things happen in the US armed forces.

I hope Manning is convicted, legally, quickly and cleanly while receiving the most severe sentence the court can deliver short of the death penalty.

Gawrsh, wimmin sure is touchy an' emotional like...

http://elifesize.com/mm5/graphics/00...7%20Popeye.jpg

Well, you know, he is Soopaman ! Get it ? Get it ?
But, he looks not soo special here (especially from 1:02 on)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rxfzm9dfqBw

I agree. There may have been a need for some tweeking but to swing to the other extreme is risky.. as demonstrated.


As for young troops having access, this is a tradition with the military. People in the military frequently are given responsibilities far sooner than many civilian positions. That includes access to highly classified information. Fortunately, 99.99% of the troops are honourable and trustworthy. Unfortunately, due the the nature of the business, that 0.01% can cause a lot of potential problems.

I normally don't buy into the "let's make an example" type of discipline, but in this case, I feel it is appropriate. So much of our security depends on personal integrity. It is impossible to operate in an environment that is completely safe from an insider betraying his country. We must be able to trust our people.

When you have a bad troop like Manning, it is important not not only get rid of him as the threat but to communicate clearly to the other troops that such behaviour can not be tolerated.

There are other Mannings out there and we need to convince them that what Manning did is not the appropriate course of action.

One of the problems with Manning is that he only had his initial investigation. After five years he, and everyone, would have been re-investigated and this 5 year periodic can reveal security problems. As part of the periodic his co-workers are interviewed.

Manning had his initial investigation in 2008 and he started downloading documents in 2009/2010.

This is one of the reasons there have been talk about limiting accesses until a troop has their first periodic, but the ops tempo of the military can't handle that. Troops need to be able to do their job when they get out of school.

The problem is that there is only so much that an initial investigation can reveal and it is worthless in identifying people like Manning who become disgruntled with the military after the investigation.

This is one of the areas where Manning's NCOs and Ops Officers should have stepped in. But we all know about "could have and should haves"

Lol, nothing "emotional" about it. Occasionally I just get tired of the automatic equating of perceived weakness and inferiority with the possession of mommy parts.

I suspect it may have arisen in the human consciousness partly as compensation for the fact that daddy parts are, in general, far more vulnerable and "weak" than their female counterparts. :O:

External genitals are an enormous cross to bear. :yep:

Have you tried using a wheel barrow? :DL

:rotfl2:

So that is what Jesus hauled up to Golgatha and was nailed to...

But didn't simon give him a hand on that job?

:smug:

:03:

This.