Pentagon Confident on Y2K Readiness

Updated 1:42 PM ET December 16, 1999

By ROBERT BURNS, AP Military Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) - Pentagon leaders have "100 percent confidence" the far-flung network of computers controlling U.S. nuclear forces, early warning radars and other vital defense systems will operate normally in the new year, a top Pentagon official said Thursday.

"We anticipate absolutely no problems in the Department of Defense," John Hamre, the deputy secretary of defense, told a news conference. He said the Pentagon spent $3.6 billion to make 99.9 percent of its thousands of computer systems Y2K ready.

He and other Pentagon officials were less certain, however, about the potential for Y2K-related problems in other countries that could affect U.S. troops overseas.

"I think you can anticipate there are going to be some problems" with computer systems abroad, Hamre said. He added, however, there is little likelihood these problems would lead to military hostilities.

"I think we're going to be fine," Hamre said.

As a precaution, as 1999 ends, all U.S. troops stationed abroad will operate at a slightly higher alert level than those in the United States, said Adm. Bob Willard, a Y2K planner for the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

The Pentagon counts 2,101 of its computer systems as "mission critical," meaning their operation is vital to the military carrying out its duties around the globe. Of those, only two are not ready for Y2K, Hamre said. Those two, which operate intelligence systems, will not be needed until May.

Another 5,488 Pentagon computers are "non mission critical." All but 10 of them have been made Y2K compliant.

There is no way to be sure if the Russian military will have significant problems come Jan. 1, Hamre said. Russian officials have assured Washington they expect no major problems.

"We have 100 percent confidence on our side," Hamre said, and are reasonably confident the Russians are ready, too.

A group of 18 to 20 Russian military officers will join a like number of American officers at a Center for Y2K Strategic Stability in Colorado Springs, Colo., starting Dec. 28, to share missile early-warning radar data. The purpose is to reassure both Washington and Moscow that neither side misinterprets any missile-related activity or radar failures around the globe during the Y2K rollover, Hamre said.

Also, the Washington-Moscow "hot line" communication system to be used in time of crisis has been made Y2K ready, Hamre said.

"We really do not worry about Russia's missiles going off," Hamre said. He acknowledged, however, the Pentagon has very little firsthand knowledge of the degree of Russian preparations for Y2K.

"A lot of our confidence is based on what they tell us," Hamre said, as well as the knowledge that Moscow historically has taken great pains to ensure the Kremlin has firm control over its military forces.

"Russia is a society and a military establishment that has placed an enormous premium on positive control of the forces from the central leadership," he said.

The Y2K bug stems from programming in older software that expresses only the last two digits of a year. Uncorrected systems cannot distinguish between 2000 and 1900 and might suffer complications after Dec. 31.

Hamre said the Pentagon anticipates encountering computer viruses that have been set up by hackers to activate at midnight Dec. 31. "We're apprehensive enough about it that we put special watch procedures in place," Hamre said.

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Ray

-- Ray (ray@totacc.com), December 16, 1999