One of the most tantalizing lines buried in the fiscal 2011 budget request for the Defense Information Systems Agency is a $102.8 million single item for a Senior Leadership Enterprise communications system.
The DISA budget says the system supports "National Leadership Command Capabilities and is classified."
Darn. So I can only speculate that DISA has somehow developed a secret gizmo much like the Star Trek Communicator,which, when you get down to it, looks much like a 21st century cell phone.
Of course, Senior Leaders need encrypted phones, so maybe DISA will supply them all with secret decoder rings used as premiums to kids by Ovatltine (a beverage I loathe) in the 1930s and 1940s.
Anyone care to enlighten me as to the real components of the Senior Leader Enterprise system?
COMMENTS
I don't get it Bob, you drank Ovaltine in the 1930's and 40's and when I talk to most people from that era who also drank the stuff, they said it was the most god awful nasty crap that could be given to kids. I drank it in the 70's and early 80's growing up, but it didn't taste bad (actually I kind of liked it). Is that because they must dump loads of sugar in it now a days vs. that time frame? Screw the Stat Trek communicators, Ovaltine mystery needs to be cleared up...
DEFENDER OF THE FREE WORLD 02/14/10 02:44 pm ET
Given that this is DISA, I would expect 2 tin cans and a long string. If they want something already established, they can get in on the DOJ IWN, which has law enforcement grade encrypted Motorola flip phones.
Steve 02/08/10 12:28 pm ET
Yes, there is a Star Trek theme, however, the true appearance of the executive communicator is that of a Tribble that is belly-up. The fur is intended to keep the snow out of your ears
TDK 02/08/10 12:20 pm ET
"We'd tell you but then we'd have to ......"
Didn't I read that one of those animal chip implanting tools was stolen recently?
The cool thing is that we can all pretend to have it, walk down the street with one handing cupping an ear and talk to yourself - but you have to pretend someone is conversing with you.
Beats the shoe phone, any day.
Eoghan 02/08/10 11:38 am ET
First things first: It's Ovaltine...;-)
Richard Warren 02/08/10 08:13 am ET