Where the leaks come from is obvious in one of the articles - and the drift of the others in the problems with the F-35s linking with the carriers; the dire state of the carriers networking; and the vulnerability of all and ALIS to cyber attack....
The newest part of the military, in charge of networks and cyber-matters, must save up to £400 million this year to help bail out the rest of defence. Pressure on the budget for Joint Forces Command (JFC) is symptomatic of a failure by defence chiefs to prioritise information-sharing over the procurement of equipment such as fast jets and warships, former commanders and defence industry sources said. “Hardware has triumphed and networking and connectivity has failed,” a senior defence source said.
All parts of the armed forces have to find additional savings over the year because of a hole in the defence budget of between £1 billion and £2 billion.
The JFC, led by General Sir Chris Deverell, was created in 2011 to take charge of areas that span the navy, army and air force, including information systems. It was hoped this would ensure a greater appreciation of IT at the heart of fighting. Six years later, officials at the Ministry of Defence are aware that networking and connectivity for their two new aircraft carriers and the fighter jets that will fly off them is vital but there is insufficient funding left to buy and install the desired systems.....