Cyber is the focus

  • Published
  • By Capt. Christina Hoggatt
  • Air Force Space Command Public Affairs
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AFNS) --  Hundreds of DOD cyber warriors, commercial defense industry officials and military members from all five services gathered during the Defending America Cyberspace 2010 Symposium to hear the Air Force Space Command commander give remarks Jan. 12, here.

Gen. C. Robert Kehler spoke to the many changes in AFSPC including standing up 24th Air Force, an operational command responsible for cyberspace, and transferring the intercontinental ballistic missile mission to the Air Force's newest command, Global Strike Command.

Additionally, he highlighted how leading the Air Force's cyberspace mission needs to focus on operations.

"Cyberspace is about operations, not communication," General Kehler said. "It is about operations, not a network. It is about how we do things to fight and win. We must assure our operations on the network."

He also drew attention to the importance of supporting the joint warfighter.

"It is about developing a full spectrum of capabilities within cyberspace, leveraging air and space capabilities to build a unique Air Force contribution to the joint fight," General Kehler said.

"We are a team of Airmen, civilians and contractors who enable joint forces to strike with precision, navigate with accuracy, communicate with certainty, see the battlefield with clarity and network with assurance," he added.

While in Colorado Springs, Maj. Gen. Richard E. Webber, the 24th Air Force commander, Brig. Gen. Dave B. Warner, the AFSPC's chief information officer and director of communications and information, and Col. Theresa Giorlando, the commander of the 689th Combat Communications Wing at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas, met with cadets at the U.S. Air Force Academy to discuss the future of Air Force cyberspace careers during a space and cyberspace career panel in the Academy's Fairchild Hall Jan. 11.

During his speech, General Kehler elaborated on the training and education required for cadets and other Airmen entering into cyberspace careers.

"We must prepare our people," General Kehler said. "We are preparing communication fields with specialized career tracks and will continue to educate our personnel. We are dedicated to moving the enterprise down the road with our joint colleagues."

"This is the first time I have heard a senior leader like him layout the cyberspace mission this way," said Jarret Rush, the Air Force Research Lab's lead information systems engineer. "We do need to focus on operations and we need the capability to provide outreach."