The belief that Air Force networks can be protected by preventing the enemy from penetrating them is an idea no longer viable, the service’s chief information officer said Thursday. “The ‘Maginot Line’ defense of protecting the network, quite frankly, is a ship that has sailed,” said Lt. Gen. William Lord, during an Air Force Association-sponsored Air Force Breakfast Series presentation in Arlington, Va. Instead, Lord said, “We now need to talk about operating a network in which the enemy is already [present].” That requires a defense in depth, with the ability to fight through attacks and keep the networks up and running so that they can continue to support the joint force, he said. Already today the Air Force’s networks experience, on a daily basis, between a hundred thousand and—”on bad days”—a million attempted penetrations, he said.
The last remaining T-1 Jayhawk at JBSA-Randolph, Texas, took its final flight to the "Boneyard" at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., on July 15. The 99th Flying Training Squadron will train pilots using T-6 and simulator until it gets T-7 Red Hawk in fiscal 2026.