Adopting standard computer configurations has allowed the Air Force to slash the time it takes to address vulnerabilities found in the service’s computer networks that could be exploited by someone with nefarious intent. Air Force Lt. Gen. Michael Peterson, USAF’s chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer since November 2005, told The Hill newspaper (see above) that it took 57 days only 18 months ago to patch the Air Force’s computers when a vulnerability was found because all of the work had to be done manually on each work station. “Today, because we have put standard configurations in place and you can do it remotely, we can do it in a day and a half,” Peterson told the publication, adding that the goal is to be able to apply the remedy in just “minutes,” as USAF’s computers are constantly being probed for weaknesses by outsiders.
An Air Force F-16 pilot designed a collapsible ladder that weighs just six pounds and folds into the unused cockpit map case.