DATE=1/13/2000
TYPE=CORRESPONDENT REPORT
TITLE=BLIND SPY (L-UPDATE)
NUMBER=2-258051
BYLINE=JIM RANDLE
DATELINE=PENTAGON
CONTENT=

VOICED AT: 

INTRO:  Pentagon officials say a Y-2-K computer 
problem that temporarily blinded some U-S spy 
satellites did  not  harm U-S security.  The officials 
were commenting on news reports that the problem lasted
longer and was more serious than previously disclosed.
V-O-A's Jim Randle reports, the breakdown ironically 
was caused by an attempt to prevent Y-2-K glitches.

TEXT:  Pentagon spokesman Ken Bacon says the problem 
affected only a portion of the constellation of spy 
satellites the United States operates. 

It has been widely reported that the glitch made it 
impossible to make sense of [to interpret] data from 
some satellites that take pictures or use radar to 
peer through clouds.

But Mr. Bacon says other sensors, that watch for 
ballistic missile launches and several other kinds of 
critical information, were  not  affected. 

            /// BACON ACT ///

      The ability to monitor attacks on the United 
      States, or potential attacks or preparation for 
      attacks against the United States, we never lost 
      that capability.

            /// END ACT ///

Mr. Bacon says news accounts saying U-S intelligence 
was "blind" for a long period are wrong.  But he 
admits one or more important systems were blinded for 
several hours, and myopic [partially affected] for 
more than two days. 

Previously, top Pentagon officials said their Y-2-K 
problem prevented a computer on the ground from 
interpreting masses of information sent down from some 
satellites.

They say it took a couple of hours to set up a backup 
system to process some of the information from the 
satellites, and more than two days to repair the main 
computer system.

Intelligence expert John Pike, of the Federation of 
American Scientists, says the broken spy system could 
have been a serious problem.

            /// PIKE ACT ///

      If there had been a major military crisis that 
      weekend, that would have been a real problem.  
      Fortunately, it was a slow weekend, and I think 
      that the military managed to get through this 
      problem OK.

            /// END ACT ///

U-S intelligence agencies and many military units were 
on a heightened state of alert over the New Year's 
weekend, fearing that terrorists or others might take 
advantage of Y-2-K computer problems to launch 
attacks.

// OPT //  Computer experts were watching for so-
called Y-2-K problems as the year 1999 switched to 
2000, because it was feared some older computer 
programs might suddenly stop working.  However, there 
were fewer problems worldwide than had been expected.  
// END OPT //

Officials say they tried to prevent Y-2-K computer 
problems in the U-S satellite intelligence system by 
changing its programming.  Instead, they apparently 
caused exactly the kind of breakdown they had feared.

Mr. Bacon says experts tested each part of the Y-2-K 
program "patch," but never checked the entire system 
at once, because that would have required shutting 
down a critical computer.

The U-S military spent three-point-six-billion dollars 
upgrading its computer software to avoid Y-2-K 
problems.  Officials say the flawed intelligence 
system was the only "significant" problem to affect 
the Pentagon's millions of computers.   (Signed)

NEB/JR/WTW



13-Jan-2000 16:59 PM EDT (13-Jan-2000 2159 UTC)
NNNN

Source: Voice of America
.