We have all seen the spectacular site when the space shuttle takes off.

Have your ever thought about the command and control infra structure that must be in place at NASA to pull off such feats?

This is where mission critical conferencing plays an important part.

Typically, different groups of engineers need to communicate with each other on different conferences. For example, a group may be discussing ‘fuel utilization’ and another group ‘propulsion parameters’ etc.

There are several supervisors who also need to keep track of their sub ordinates and speak to their peers at moment’s notice. Some of these conversations may be point to point or on a conference call.

The mission director needs to be able to listen into multiple conversations that may be going on in different conference rooms.

Based on what the mission controller hears, he/she may have to barge in and have full duplex conversation with people in a given conference room.

All conferences taking place need to be recorded for future reference.

The satellite launches are typically monitored from different locations around the world. The people in these locations need to be able to talk to each other in ‘always on’ conference calls.

These multiple conference calls need to occur in a secure environment.

The conference bridge equipment should be able to display real time call activity, including display of loudest speaker etc.

A number of in conference call controls e.g., mute/ un-mute, lock/unlock etc should be available and easily usable to keep the conference calling experience user friendly.

All of the capabilities described above should be accessible from a command and control web portal.

Together this entire arrangement is called Mission Critical Audio Conferencing.

All of these terms are associated with getting a product JITC certified so that it can be deployed in secure networks – especially Department of Defense networks.

Following definitions are available on Wikipedia and elsewhere on the internet for these terms.

The Joint Interoperability Test Command (JITC) is a US military organization that tests technology that pertains to multiple branches of the armed services and government. JITC’s mission is to provide a full-range of rapid, standardized and customized test, evaluation, and certification services to support global net-centric war fighting capabilities under all conditions of peace and war.

The Defense Switched Network (DSN) is a primary information transfer network for the Defense Information Systems Network (DISN). The DSN provides the worldwide non-secure voice, secure voice, data, facsimile, and video teleconferencing services for DOD Command and Control (C2) elements, their supporting activities engaged in logistics, personnel, engineering, and intelligence, as well as other Federal agencies.

The Unified Capabilities Certification Office (UCCO) is a government organization that serves as a central coordinator for JITC testing and approval. It provides Sponsor/vendor tracking numbers to track product, manages IA and IO test schedules, coordinates and tracks product status on testing schedule, submits the proper certification documentation for the product to the DISN Security Accreditation Working Group (DSAWG), and contacts the sponsor with the decision regarding their submittal.

The DISA Security Technical Implementation Guides (STIG) define the technical security policies, requirements, and Implementation details for applying security to the DISN.

The Unified Capabilities Requirements (UCR 2008) specifies technical standards for telecommunication switching equipment to be connected to the DISN; the emphasis is on Military Unique Features, e.g., Multilevel Precedence and Preemption (MLPP).

The Information Assurance (IA) is the practice of managing risks related to the use, processing, storage, and transmission of information or data and the systems and processes used for those purposes. JITC related IA testing is typically Composed of two (2) phases; Phase I: Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) compliance and Functional Security Tests and Phase II: IP Penetration Testing and Telephony Testing.

The Inter Operability (IO) refers to a product being able to connect to the DSN and provide needed telecommunications functions as per UCCO defined STIG documents.