broadcom - hacking for defense - stanford 2017
TRANSCRIPT
Sponsor: 5th Special Forces Group
Broadcom
Week 1:Problem
Provide wide-area broadband
internet in denied areas (e.g.
Syria, Iraq)
Solution:
Aerial based solution to beam
Internet directly to denied area
Week 9:Problem
Provide wide-area broadband
internet in denied areas (e.g.
Syria, Iraq)
Solution:
Aerial based solution to beam
Internet directly to denied area
Total Interviews: 118
BroadCom: Team
Fabien Villemalard
Economist & IT
Teun de Planque
Computer Scientist and Electrical Engineer
Mechanical Engineer
Yitao Zhuang
BroadCom: Emotional Rollercoaster
Team Formation
Have a solution
Chaos
4 Potential Solutions
MVP
Deployment? +
Team member left
Happy Sponsor
Emotional
State
Time
Broadcom: Emotional Rollercoaster
Emotional
State
Time
Team Formation
Have a solution
Chaos
4 Potential Solutions
MVP
Deployment? +
Team member left
Happy Sponsor
Broadcom: Emotional Rollercoaster
Emotional
State
Time
Team Formation
Have a solution
Chaos
4 Potential Solutions
MVP
Deployment? +
Team member left
Happy Sponsor
- “Wait a minute, who are your beneficiaries?
ODA in 5th SFG?”
- “We are not sure. By the way, what does
ODA mean?”
Initial Secondary Beneficiaries and Value Proposition
SFOD-A (Special Forces Operational Detachment - Alpha)
- Need telecommunication capability to other OD-A units,
allies and local population
Beneficiaries Rejected by the Sponsor
“We already have enough
telecommunication gadgets for our
soldiers.”
Col. Leahy, Commander of 5th SFG
Understanding the Daily Life of SFG
Lesson Learned
“It is all about winning hearts and minds (of local
people)”
-Former Navy Seal
-Sponsor
-Former British Special Forces
-Delta Force
Local Civilians
Confirmed Beneficiaries and Value Propositions
SFG (Company Commander)
● Provide unbiased information and
counter-propaganda
● Know what local citizens are thinking
and talking about
● Communicate to local population
directly
● Access to accurate information or
entertainment
● Capability to communicate to the
outside world
Broadcom: Emotional Rollercoaster
Emotional
State
Time
4 potential solutions
Team Formation
Have a solution
MVP
Deployment? +
Team member left
Happy Sponsor
Chaos
Positive Feedback!
“Your recommended solution is the
BEST of all hypotheses. YOU ARE
TALKING”
Col. Krummrich, Operational officer
for USAJFKSWCS, military liaison
Broadcom: Emotional Rollercoaster
Emotional
State
Time
Team Formation
Have a solution
Deployment? +
Team member left
Happy Sponsor
Chaos
MVP
4 Potential Solutions
BroadCom: MVP
•3G/4G communication
•Satellite communication as backhaul
•Onboard server for cached material
•COTS parts (total est: ~$70K)
•Mounted on a proposed MALE UAS
platform or existing Group III UAS
Mission Achievement
5th Special Forces Group Local Civilians
● Number of users of the internet service
● Number of Facebook/Twitter posts created
(intelligence collection)
● Number of downloads of the cached content
(counter-propaganda)
BroadCom: Emotional Rollercoaster
Emotional
State
Time
Deployment? + Team
member left
Team Formation
Have a solutionHappy Sponsor
Chaos
4 Potential Solutions
MVP
BroadCom: Emotional Rollercoaster
Emotional
State
Time
Team Formation
Happy SponsorHave a solution
Chaos
4 Potential Solutions
MVP
Deployment? +
Team member left
Could we use many of these
together? ... so why not fly 20 of
them over the target area. The
concept looks great!
Col. Leahy, Commander of 5th SFG
BroadCom: Acknowledgements
5th Special Forces Group: Col. Leahy, Col. Krummich,
Joshua Burch, Paul Murphy
Military Liaison: Todd Forsman, Scott Sanders
TA: Isaac Matthews
Mentor: Craig Seidel
Special Thanks: Stanford DoD/IC community
Primary: 5th Special Force Group (especially ODA teams)
Secondary: - Allied forces in denied areas (coordination purposes);- Population in denied area (informational purposes).
Third: potential other beneficiaries could include other military units, Gov’t org. that provide aid (FEMA, UN, USAID), NGOs, Private co. op. in denied areas (Oil & Gas, Mining, …)
- DIUX- Purchasing arm of the military through the SOCOM (Special Operations Command)known as Acquisition,Transport and Logistics unit;- Head of US 5th Special Forces Group.
- Warehouse and Assembly facility;
- UAS/Drones
- Telecommunication Engineer;
- Electrical/Mechanical Engineer.
BroadCom: Mission Model Canvas
- Purchase of off the shelf equipment;
- Assembly of equipment;
- B2Gov. distribution;
- Maintenance and Repair of equipment
- US 5th Special Forces Group;Drone Operator
- Telecommunication suppliers;L3, Cobham, AvL,Ericsson, Nokia
- Drone manufacturersAAI (RQ-7), Zenith Aerospace (Solar) CyPhy (Tethered Drone)
- Provide internet to local citizens so that 5th SFG can collect useful intelligence
- Local citizens post valuable information (for 5th SFG) on provided Internet- Leasing of equipment- Maintenance services
- Off the shelf elements- Assembly - B2Gov. Distribution and transport costs to destination.- Total = 70k
Beneficiaries
Mission AchievementMission Budget/Costs
Buy-In/Support
Deployment
Value
Proposition
Key Activities
Deploy an IP based broadband communication infrastructure which is(i) Compatible with smartphones on the ground (2G, 3G, 4G, LTE);(ii) Durable;(iii) Mobile;(iv) Discrete from obvious visual detection;(v) Highly customizable in terms of area coverage(vi) Target. Download 5MB/s. Upload 1MB/s. (Whatsapp, Twitter, Facebook)(vii) Operated min. 30km range;(iix) Target urban areas with 1 to 3 story buildings and at least 1 city block;(ix) Min. concurrent connections of 40 users
Key Resources
Key Partners
- Direct sales channel where confidentiality is ensured, and select clients are chosen;
- Large conference gatherings;
- In the field, UAV should fit in the back of a humvee;
- Can take off over short distances
Create sense of urgency from the start!
Lesson learnt: Response time is slow
Week 1
Broadcom
2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Expectation
5th SFG actual response
SOCOM actual response
Lesson learnt: How to talk to Special Forces
- SOCOM is trained keep information rather than share information;
- Quote: “I told all that my JAG could tell me I could say”
- Required creative approach:- Do homework before interviews as much as possible
to target questions as much as possible;- When talking use analogies;- Multiple touch points is essential;- Emails with images and open ended questions;- Use of intermediaries;- Use of former SOCOM officers; and- Talk to more senior ranking officers with more
comfort to share information