Big Data in National Defence

                Former Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta, along with his staff, has realized the advantages and opportunities associated with the exploitation of big data. The intelligence data available on the internet is overwhelming, and finally the U.S. Government has realized this. Since September 11, 2001, the data from drones, and other resources has increased over 15 times that of what it was. The Department of Defense now has is projected to increase the number of computing devices capable of processing this information by over 200% by 2020.

                One problem the DOD is continuously returning to is that the time it takes to tap into this massive amount of information is paid for with lives on the ground. The time it does take to implement change according to this information can never be reduced enough. Because of this, the DOD is continuously working on creating a “smarter planet” in order to increase the capabilities and reach of the Department of Defense, therefore, saving lives on the ground in Afghanistan.

                These advances can be vital to future U.S. Military engagements from the Middle East, to the newly focused eastern front. This can greatly change the approach of the U.S. Military in the future engagements of nations such as North Korea and Iran. Without advances, the fight against nations like this will prove to be much more difficult than nations such as Afghanistan and Iraq due to their minimal knowledge in the potential of cyber-attacks. Further research in these fields would prove to be very beneficial.

www.forbes.com/sites/techonology/2012/03/12/military-intelligence-redefined-big-data-in-the-battlefield/