Orlando, Fla. The Air Force’s cyber warriors must normalize cyber capabilities in the same way USAF has other weapons systems in other domains, Air Force Space Command boss Gen. William Shelton said Friday during AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium here. As of today, seven of USAF’s cyber capabilities have been declared official “weapons systems,” Shelton said. “If that catches you off guard, it’s just that as the Air Force invests and maintains and sustains systems, we are using the weapons system framework to sustain cyber capabilities.” These include systems such as the Cyberspace Defense Analysis System, the Vulnerability Assessment System, and “offensive cyber capabilities,” which are still in development for use by joint force commanders, noted Shelton. US Cyber Command recently set up a “cyber mission force concept,” Shelton added, and USAF will contribute some 2,200 airmen in a total of 39 teams to this effort over the next three years. The teams include national mission teams that will focus on strategic cyber defense; combat mission teams tasked with supporting combatant commanders; and cyber protection teams to provide mission assurance activities. “We have tremendous opportunity ahead, but it will require us to rethink how we do business in cyber space,” Shelton added.
How Miss America 2024 Took the Air Force Somewhere New
Dec. 20, 2024
When 2nd Lt. Madison Marsh became the first ever active service member crowned Miss America on Jan. 14, top Air Force officials recognized a rare opportunity to reach women and girls who otherwise might not consider military service as an option.