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Air Force moving ahead with Cyber Command
The Air Force is moving ahead on establishing its new Cyber Command, searching for permanent facilities and planning meetings to establish rules by which it will operate, according to Air Force officials.
In September, the Air Force announced it would establish a Cyber Command to prepare for fighting wars in cyberspace by defending national computer networks running critical operations and to attack adversaries computer networks.
The Air Force now operates a Provisional Cyberspace Command at Barksdale Air Force Base in northwest Louisiana. Its vice commander, Col. Anthony Buntyn, said the provisional command is solely involved with "standing up the permanent command," meaning it is developing a structure, finding a location for the base and hiring and training staff. Buntyn spoke this week at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association's annual Air Force IT Day in Vienna, Va.
Next week, Air Force officials, mostly with the rank of major and colonel, will meet at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Ala., to begin laying out the rules that the command will follow during a possible cyberwar. Called the Cyber Space Warfare Doctrine, the rules will include defining what constitutes an act of cyberwar as opposed to what is merely a cybercrime or act of cyberterrorism.
Buntyn and Lt. Gen. Michael Peterson, chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer for the Air Force, emphasized that determining the origin of a cyberattack is difficult. "We do have significant ability to determine where the attacks are from, but it takes some time," Peterson said. "Two or three things may have to happen before we connect the dots. But as a team, we [the Defense Department, the FBI and other domestic law enforcement agencies] are generally able to say what happened when."
Peterson said part of the command's mission will be to protect critical information systems supporting U.S. infrastructures, but that would not be the primary focus, saying the command will be "ready to fight the fight." He added that there were multiple goals, including a better ability to see inside enemy networks.
Cyber Command also is looking for a permanent home. Officials at Barksdale AFB are looking for sites close to universities engaged in information security research and close to areas with a high concentration of major technology companies. Peterson said the command was considering "multiple good locations," and a recommendation is expected this spring.
Buntyn said the command is expected to begin initial operations by Oct. 1, 2008, and will be fully staffed and operational a year later. There are 160 staff members in the provisional command who have been pulled from various military services and other government organizations. The workforce eventually will reach 541, with about 400 located at the command's headquarters.
Peterson said the Air Force needed "folks that are all about technology," which is partly why it is considering "cyber warrior" -- personnel dedicated exclusively to cyberspace operations -- as a new career path and is determining the skills and tools necessary for that career. He said he expected to "see more suits and ties than at most commands," meaning the Cyber Command would likely hire more government workers from civilian agencies than what other military commands do.
COMMENTS
- Of course the AF is trying to make itself more relevent -- it is led almost exclusively by pilots, and UAVs have them terrified. They are afraid they are becoming obsolete. Unlike the Army and the Navy, who put value on leadership and teamwork, the AF perceives the highest value is in the one person in the single seat fighter (read "The Right Stuff"). This is a dumb idea, and in today's limited budgets, crazier than the Space Command. Thumbs down! Also Anon Posted December 13, 2007 8:59 PM
- I agree Wise Owl. The fact that the industry press, and to some extent the mainstream press, is drooling over all this USAF spin is also amazing. Who's had a charter to defend the "GIG" for a while now? Three-letter agencies indeed. How about some multi-letter combatant commands or even the joint task force, global network ops we've read a little about lately? I think the USAF is in a struggle to become more relevant. If it's not lamenting the need for billions worth of new airframes; it's spinning tales about "cyber warriors" and making up new commands. I bet they have half a dozen visual information folks working on spiffy new patch designs while much of the enlisted Airmen are in the sand on "in lieu of" tours. Anon Posted December 10, 2007 6:18 PM
- Lt. Gen. Peterson says the new command will be "ready to fight the fight," implying an offensive capbility. As we reflect on the cold war and the corresponding arms race, it was the threat of an all out nuclear war that kept all sides, while always at the ready, efectively in check. The cyber dynamic is uniquely different in that it can compared to an in-progess "warm war" with ongoing cyber skirmishes and the eruption of occasional intense but brief battles. That said, an offensive capability is a necessary component of any full spectrum operation, but there are several significant shortcomings: 1- An extraordinary amount of resources are slated for the new command, but at what expense? Every service is already begging for additional resources to bolster its existing defensive capabilities (i.e., limitations). Perhaps the DoD community should spend a little more time and effort getting its house in order, so to speak, by fully implementing security protocols. As any grade schooler quickly learns, don't pick a fight unless you're fully prepared to singularly deal with your opponent...AND his many friends. 2- Jurisdiction, by definition, is a function of authority and mission. As such, it seems bewildering that the Air Force, a service within the DoD, would somehow perceive that it has jurisdiction to "protect critical information systems supporting U.S. infrastructures." The folks across the Potomac at DHS and DOJ surely interpret things differently. Expanding the discussion to offensive capabilities, there are significant legal restraints (meaning there is currently no authority for the Air Force in this regard). The three letter agencies are in a category by themselves, so let's just leave them there..... If they need more resources, I'm sure they won't/don't hesitate to advocate for themselves. The concept of cyber warriors within DoD is admittedly sexy, an aspect apparently not lost on the Air Force. However, the need for such a capability within the Air Force itself is simply unconscionable, especially when the military is struggling to maintain itself at the ready for current/future physical wars. It's a matter of mission and priorities. Wise Owl Posted December 7, 2007 9:01 PM
