DATE=1/13/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=BLIND SPY (L-UPDATE)
NUMBER=2-258051
BYLINE=JIM RANDLE
DATELINE=PENTAGON
CONTENT=
VOICED AT:
INTRO: Pentagon officials say a Y-2-K computer
problem that temporarily blinded some U-S spy
satellites did not harm U-S security. The officials
were commenting on news reports that the problem lasted
longer and was more serious than previously disclosed.
V-O-A's Jim Randle reports, the breakdown ironically
was caused by an attempt to prevent Y-2-K glitches.
TEXT: Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon says the problem
affected only a portion of the constellation of spy
satellites the United States operates.
It has been widely reported that the glitch made it
impossible to make sense of [to interpret] data from
some satellites that take pictures or use radar to
peer through clouds.
But Mr. Bacon says other sensors, that watch for
ballistic missile launches and several other kinds of
critical information, were not affected.
/// BACON ACT ///
The ability to monitor attacks on the United
States, or potential attacks or preparation for
attacks against the United States, we never lost
that capability.
/// END ACT ///
Mr. Bacon says news accounts saying U-S intelligence
was "blind" for a long period are wrong. But he
admits one or more important systems were blinded for
several hours, and myopic [partially affected] for
more than two days.
Previously, top Pentagon officials said their Y-2-K
problem prevented a computer on the ground from
interpreting masses of information sent down from some
satellites.
They say it took a couple of hours to set up a backup
system to process some of the information from the
satellites, and more than two days to repair the main
computer system.
Intelligence expert John Pike, of the Federation of
American Scientists, says the broken spy system could
have been a serious problem.
/// PIKE ACT ///
If there had been a major military crisis that
weekend, that would have been a real problem.
Fortunately, it was a slow weekend, and I think
that the military managed to get through this
problem OK.
/// END ACT ///
U-S intelligence agencies and many military units were
on a heightened state of alert over the New Year's
weekend, fearing that terrorists or others might take
advantage of Y-2-K computer problems to launch
attacks.
// OPT // Computer experts were watching for so-
called Y-2-K problems as the year 1999 switched to
2000, because it was feared some older computer
programs might suddenly stop working. However, there
were fewer problems worldwide than had been expected.
// END OPT //
Officials say they tried to prevent Y-2-K computer
problems in the U-S satellite intelligence system by
changing its programming. Instead, they apparently
caused exactly the kind of breakdown they had feared.
Mr. Bacon says experts tested each part of the Y-2-K
program "patch," but never checked the entire system
at once, because that would have required shutting
down a critical computer.
The U-S military spent three-point-six-billion dollars
upgrading its computer software to avoid Y-2-K
problems. Officials say the flawed intelligence
system was the only "significant" problem to affect
the Pentagon's millions of computers. (Signed)
NEB/JR/WTW
13-Jan-2000 16:59 PM EDT (13-Jan-2000 2159 UTC)
NNNN
Source: Voice of America
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