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JUNE 14, 1999

New DOD Web site targets Y2K education

BY DANIEL VERTON (dan_verton@fcw.com)

http://www.fcw.com/pubs/fcw/1999/0614/fcw-agsitesurvey-06-14-99.html

The sky is not falling, according to a new Defense Department World Wide Web site that makes a concerted effort to distinguish among gloom, doom and truth when it comes to the Year 2000 computer glitch.

DOD's new Confronting Y2K Web site is designed as an antidote to the anxiety and reckless rumors surrounding the Year 2000 problem, according to Army Col. John Kehoe, director of information operations for American Forces News Service. The intention of the site is to enable members of the DOD community to concentrate on preparing for, fighting and winning wars rather than worrying about Year 2000 problems, he said.

According to Kehoe, most of the Year 2000 Web sites throughout DOD and government are geared toward a technical audience, with few offering general information for the average person on what to expect on Jan. 1, 2000. "We're trying to reach the broader DOD audience," Kehoe said. "We're trying to give them information that says, 'This is what you need to know about Y2K, and this is how it can affect your family,' " Kehoe said.

Located at:

http://www.defenselink.mil/specials/y2k/home.htm

...the Web site offers views into how the Year 2000 problem will affect DOD personnel, their missions and their families. Through the use of pop-up menus, visitors to the site can choose subtopics such as health care, payroll, DOD systems, household goods, travel and utilities. The Macromedia Inc. Shockwave plug-in, which launches a multi-media presentation on the opening page, is a little difficult to handle for some computers and Internet connections, but Kehoe said the department plans to offer a plug-in-free version soon.

There also is a much needed, and probably a much visited, page on Year 2000 rumors, where visitors can view a list of debunked Year 2000 scuttlebutt. From misleading concerns regarding malfunctioning prison cell doors and nuclear missiles to getting stuck in elevators or dying from the affects of a failed pacemaker, the rumors page is a healthy shot of Year 2000 optimism.

The department also assures its personnel that they will, in fact, get paid on and after Jan. 1, 2000. DOD personnel and their families also will be happy to know that all of DOD's 12 mission-critical health care systems are Year 2000-compliant. However, caution is warranted when dealing with off-base health care contractors, such as nonmilitary pharmacies and nonmilitary hospitals, according to the Web site.

The Year 2000 Web site also provides a rundown of the status of DOD mission-critical and non-mission-critical systems. Adorned with a picture of a smiling John Hamre, the deputy secretary of Defense, the systems and equipment page reassures DOD personnel that the department "will continue operations and maintain military readiness before, during and after" Jan. 1.

To help DOD personnel and their non-Year 2000-savvy family members confront the Year 2000 bug head-on, DODalso has included an individual emergency preparedness page. Topping the advice list on this page is an appeal not to panic. "Panic will only result in hoarding of goods and create the types of shortages government and industry leaders are trying to prevent," according to the site. Other suggestions for preparing yourself and family members for Dec. 31 include keeping flashlights and extra batteries on hand, keeping at least a half a tank of gas in your car, taking enough cash out of the bank to last a weekend and maintaining a separate list of emergency numbers in case 911 systems are temporarily out of service.

"We're trying to avoid the panic we see out there on other Web sites," Kehoe said. "We don't want our men and women to be focusing on Y2K when they should be focusing on a warfighting mission."

In addition to the personal preparedness sections, the site also offers a look into international readiness. According to Kehoe, this section will be expanded as DOD commands that are overseas provide more information on local preparedness measures in their host countries.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 14, 1999

Answers

Some may wish to compare and contrast the DoD site with the Naval War College site, at the Forum suggestion of Thomas Barnett, Director, Year 2000 International Security Dimension Project, US Naval War College (on an earlier thread).

To quote:

Check out our site at...

http:// www.nwc.navy.mil/dsd/y2ksited/y2ksite.htm

...War College, or, for .mil-domain challenged, our duplicate at geocities:

http://www.geocities.com/ResearchTriangle/Thinktank/6926/ y2ksite.htm

The future is transparency.

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 14, 1999.

Diane,

I don't want to speculate publicly about the disconnect between entities...not only these two but others as well...but it is curious.

Mike ====================================================================

-- Michael Taylor (mtdesign3@aol.com), June 14, 1999.

It certainly is Michael!

Then, in watching the Kosovo news on TV and the apparent disconnect between the Russian military and their politicians, well, it just makes ya wonder.

Strange or not?

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 14, 1999.

You are seeing the difference between possibles and probables - the CIA and the military both know their wilder scenarios will never happen. But scenarios dealing with what MIGHT happen, even in the most unlikely of worlds, are fair game for planning and intelligence.

The website Diane found is dealing with the probable outcomes - the ones the DOD EXPECTS to happen. In fact, to put it on a fully public accessible website, says they have full confidence things will turn out that way.

-- Paul Davis (davisp1953@yahoo.com), June 15, 1999.

Obviously, DoD is merely following the PC party line...prepare for a 3 day (or less!) storm. One wonders how functional the troops will be in a martial law situation if they are VERY worried about unprepared families at home...families that DoD told not to prepare. DoD could have shot itself in the foot. It would be interesting to see the chain of command of the group that prepared this web site.

-- Mad Monk (madmonk@hawaiian.net), June 15, 1999.

Paul,

I simply object to TPTB always treating everyone like little children. Makes my toes itch... and I just want to put on the hiking boots and kick some DoD, et. al., shins. (Koskinen's still first).

Diane

-- Diane J. Squire (sacredspaces@yahoo.com), June 15, 1999.

MM, White house>>New York Law Firm>>Some 20 yr old intern>>HTML editor. HeHe! Probably not that simple, could have been someone in the military involved. Chinese maybe?

Has anyone heard anything about how the Clinton goons are planning to handle Doom and Gloom "talk"? This could become a a threat to those who have been the most outspoken. Possibly charging people with "inciting panic"? Seizing all their property, sueing them, jail?. I'M SERIOUS. This would not be a suprising move for these clowns (with fangs and Lugers).

-- MidwestMike_ (midwestmike_@hotmail.com), June 15, 1999.

You're the DoD.

You employ hundreds of thousands of US citizens around the globe. US citizens that might be worried. US citizens you, as the DoD, may need to call upon in a time of crisis.

How do you keep these US citizens calm? How do you maintain order in the ranks?

Open a website.

There are at least two distinctly polarized views in the ranks of the Defense Department regarding Y2k. I'm convinced that they are nothing more than a microcasm of the US as a whole. There are doomers and pollys.

The same arguments, speculation, fears, etc. that we view here are happening there too.

Some areas are being very forthcoming regarding the poosible scenarios. Others have chosen to be tightliped and pray really hard.

I just hope that no matter what, order will be maintained where we really need it...in the ranks.

-- want to post this (incognito@unknown.com), June 15, 1999.