USAF to Ramp up Space, Cyber Investment

The Air Force will focus more on building in, not bolting on, cyber solutions into USAF networks, said Secretary Deborah Lee James. Speaking during AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., on Monday, James called for greater investment in securing USAF information against cyber attacks so airmen can continue to execute their missions. The Air Force is examining ways to bulk up its resilience against cyber attacks, while also “investing in our ability to understand what’s going on out there” as a deterrent measure, said James. “Gaining and maintaining superiority will be even more challenging moving into the future,” in the highly contested arenas of space and cyberspace, she added. In both arenas, the barriers to entry are low, “technology is improving, and … [is] available to many around the world,” she said. “We can no longer assume that our adversaries will no longer be able to access or to interfere with our deployed systems.