Focus on Cyberspace

In one of his last acts as Air Force Secretary, Michael Wynne told the audience on June 18 at the Air Force Cyberspace Symposium in Marlborough, Mass., that it is up to them to “determine if this mission succeeds or fails,” urging them to “build confidence and capabilities” in this new mission area “just as we would in any other domain.” The three-day second annual cyberspace conference, co-sponsored by Electronic Systems Center at Hanscom AFB, Mass., Cyberspace Command (Provisional) at Barksdale AFB, La., and AFA’s Paul Revere Chapter, had as its theme “Equipping the Cyber Warrior to Fight in Cyberspace.” Wynne, who stepped down as Secretary on June 20, declared that, although there’s been a rocky road to comprehension and acceptance of the cyberspace mission, “these efforts are about to bear tremendous fruit.” He urged the cyber force to “be incredibly agile, more agile than any existing organization in the Department of Defense.” Also at the symposium, the commander of the Air Force’s provisional cyber command, Maj. Gen. William Lord, clarified for attendees that the service is standing up the new command to “focus on the Air Force protection and defense of the Air Force’s abilities to command and control our forces that we bring to the joint fight.” He added that the complex world of cyberspace operations will engage many other DOD organizations and other federal elements. The Air Force currently is in the process of selecting a permanent location for its cyberspace headquarters, something that has attracted the intense interest of 18 states. (Includes Air Force report by Ed Gulick and Hanscom report by Monica Morales)