Cyber Command: US Air Force Moves Forward with New Digital Warrior Unit

In what is nothing more than a really good geeky story, the US Air Force has decided to pursue forming Cyber Command. Its duty will be to defend the Defense Department and its subsidiary networks from cyberattacks, and to launch their own against enemies.

The decision was made at the Corona leadership conference in Colorado Springs. The leadership, including Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, made the decision last week, said Captain Michael Andrews, an Air Force spokesman.

The service put Cyber Command on hold in August saying that they wanted to postpone the program until the new senior Air Force leaders had the time to make a final decision on just what Cyber Command was to do. Apparently they’ve come up with a “to do” list.

Fears that the Air Force would lose sole control over any such project to a larger and all encompassing project were raised in May by Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England. Writing in a memo, England wrote: "Because all the combatant commands, military departments and other defense components need the ability to work unhindered in cyberspace, the domain does not fall within the purview of any particular department or component."

"The conduct of cyber operations is a complex issue, as [Defense] and other interagency partners have substantial equity in the cyber arena," Donley said. "We will continue to do our part to increase Air Force cyber capabilities and institutionalize our cyber mission."

At the moment it looks as if the Air Force is looking to investigate ways that it can securely implement Cyber Command in a way that encompasses all aspects of the US military and defense. Andrews said the Air Force will provide more details on the Cyber Command later in October after discussions with Pentagon and congressional leadership.

Posted by Josh Hill