Released: Sept. 1, 1998
by Capt. Wilson Camelo
Combat Challenge '98 Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. (ACCNS) - As the new millenium rapidly approaches a potentially destructive "clock" that could impact Air Force missions and readiness is ticking.
The problem is Year 2000, or Y2K, but the Air Force is doing something about it Sept. 3 during the Combat Challenge '98 event. CC '98 marks the first time the Air Force conducts a hands-on Y2K interoperability test.
The Y2K problem stems from the fact many computer systems were developed to store most dates with a two-digit year to save memory and storage space. This would lead computers to believe 1990, stored as 90, comes after 2000, stored as 00, causing computer records to be incorrectly stored, time ranges improperly computed and date-dependent computer logic to fail.
Y2K is an operations and mission problem for the Air Force because anything that contains a microchip or processor is potentially at risk for failure when the calendar turns to Jan. 1, 2000, said Col. Ronnie Hawkins, Air Combat Command Communications Group commander.
"Y2K is a much bigger issue than a PC on a desk. Y2K can affect aircraft, weapons interfaces, space systems, support business applications and other infrastructure," said Hawkins.
Combat Challenge is the Air Force's premier biennial communications and information event. During CC '98 participants are shaping the future of deployable communications and aligning it with the Air Force's new Expeditionary Aerospace Force concept, he added.
Since CC '98's focus is on deployable communications and information systems it provides a perfect opportunity to conduct the hands-on Y2K interoperability test, said Teresa Salazar, ACC Y2K program manager.
To add an important element of realism, Salazar's Y2K team will roll dates forward on communications components in an operational environment. "We will then assess and document the impacts and turn our assessments over to the mission owners to do the contingency planning," said Salazar.
Prior to deploying to CC '98, Salazar said the areas with the most impact to deployable communications operations were identified for the Y2K interoperability tests.
These areas are the Theater Deployable Communications, Network Control Center - Deployed, Network Operations Security Center - Deployed, and Joint Air Operations Center.
These areas contain some of the most critical communications and information systems that deployed commanders rely on to conduct wartime missions. "These are the areas you don't want to fail during a contingency," said Salazar.
TDC, for instance, is responsible for voice, data, messaging and video to the deployed warfighter. During the test, the TDC date-cognizant systems will be rolled forward to very late Dec. 31, 1999. When the date turns to Jan. 1 the impacts on individual components and interrelated equipment will be documented. The documented impacts will then be a part of the Y2K contingency plan for TDC.
Salazar also said every airman has some degree of accountability for helping solve the Y2K problem. "We are the experts and we all have a role in identifying what could potentially happen."
According to Salazar, there are 290,000 infrastructure items that have the potential for Y2K problems in ACC. About 31,000 of which are mission, or wartime, critical. That's why contingency planning is very important, she said.
"We need to develop a back up course of action if equipment and
systems fail due to Y2K."