Air Force increases focus on cyberoperations

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Air Force increases focus on cyberoperations
By Tom Vanden Brook - USA TODAY
Posted : Monday Jan 28, 2008 22:05:53 EST

WASHINGTON — Ready. Aim. Click.

The military relies on computers and electronic communication to launch precision weapons, spy on its enemies and communicate with troops in combat. The Air Force is revamping its training to prepare its 320,000 airmen to protect its frontlines in cyberspace, Air Force Brig. Gen. Mark Schissler said. The battlefield includes the Internet, cell phone calls and signals that trigger roadside bombs.

“In cyber, the weapon of choice is going to be the computer that sits on your desk,” said Schissler, the Air Force’s director of cyberoperations.

Every enlisted man and officer will be taught about cyberwarfare in basic training, the Air Force Academy or officer candidate school, Schissler said. About 100 students per year will receive more advanced instruction at the Undergraduate Network Warfare Training course at Hurlburt Field in Florida. Graduates of the six-month program will be able to operate a computer like “a weapon system” and will be known as cyberwarriors or cyberoperators, Schissler said. The first class graduated last month.

The Air Force wants to build offensive and defensive capabilities in cyberspace. A presentation from the Center for Cyberspace Research at the Air Force Institute of Technology states the goal plainly:


Rest of article at: http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/01/gns_cyberairforce_080128/