The new Air Force Cyberspace Command will “redefine airpower for the 21st century” said Lani Kass, director of the Air Force’s cyberspace task force. The new command will focus on offense, defense, and infrastructure of cyberspace and many aspects of the electromagnetic spectrum as a whole, Kass continued. Talking with Pentagon reporters Thursday afternoon, both Kass and Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, who as commander of 8th Air Force is tasked with creating the new major command, emphasized that the command would be a warfighting command. They said it’s focus would be to defeat an enemy by attacking enemy computer networks, restricting ways to enter the network, denying access to financial networks and satellite communications, and a whole host of other capabilities that haven’t even been invented. For now, part of Elder’s task is to bring together military, government, and academic experts to examine “how we’re going to do this.”
As Air Force leaders consider concepts of operations for Collaborative Combat Aircraft, sustainment in the field—and easing that support by using standard parts and limiting variants—should be a key consideration, according to a new study from AFA's Mitchell Institute of Aerospace Studies.