New cyberspace support career field stood up Nov. 1

  • Published
WASHINGTON (AFNS) --  Air Force officials here converted more than 43,000 total force enlisted Airmen from former communications career fields to cyberspace support Nov. 1. 

The new Air Force specialty is made up of three former career fields: communications-electronics, 2EXXX; knowledge operations management, 3AXXX; and communications-computer systems, 3CXXX. 

The new cyberspace support career field family is 3DXXX, which is broken into 11 new Air Force specialty codes: 3D0X1, knowledge operations management; 3D0X2, cyber systems operations; 3D0X3, cyber surety; 3D0X4, computer systems programming; 3D1X1, client systems; 3D1X2, cyber transport systems; 3D1X3, RF transmission systems; 3D1X4, spectrum operations; 3D1X5, ground radar systems; 3D1X6, airfield systems; and 3D1X7, cable and antenna systems. 

In addition, Air Force officials converted more than 8,800 civilian-equivalent positions. The conversions were driven by force reductions and skill-set convergences required to meet both cyberspace support and cyberspace operations missions, said Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Call, the Air Force knowledge operations management and postal career field manager. The current 33S communications officer transformation is under way and should be decided in near future, the chief added. 

"Folks at Air Force personnel (A1) and the Air Force Personnel Center did a remarkable job implementing both personnel and manpower conversions," Chief Call said. "This effort was one of the largest AFSC transformations ever accomplished by these teams. At midnight Oct. 31, all personnel and manpower positions automatically converted to a primary 3DXXX AFSC path." 

Throughout November, Air Force officials will make minor adjustments to indirectly convert those Airmen who are converting to an alternate AFSC path, the chief added. 

The AFSC conversions have been a work in progress for more than a year-and-a-half and involved many organizations, the chief said. Air Education and Training Command training program managers and Keesler Air Force Base, Miss., and Sheppard AFB, Texas, training managers and curriculum developers created new curriculum and rewrote career development courses. 

New 3DXXX technical training schools started Oct. 5 with an information technology fundamentals course. It will give all cyberspace support Airmen a common foundation of cyberspace support terminology and mission sets, Chief Call said. After the IT Fundamentals Course, Airmen will move to AFSC-specific technical training. The first 3DXXX Airmen will graduate Dec. 2. 

"I applaud the efforts of all communications Airmen -- base-level Airmen, major command functional managers and career field managers -- for their extraordinary efforts to transform the communications workforce into a cyberspace support workforce," said Lt. Gen. William T. Lord, the chief of warfighting integration and chief information officer. "I'm confident we have these skill-sets right to meet the challenges of our growing cyberspace mission. We will continue developing our skill-sets to ensure our critical network infrastructure and data is secure from cyber attacks and to support Department of Defense's requirements." 

Changing AFSCs isn't the only change. There will be a new 3DXXX cyberspace support occupational badge. It will replace the maintenance badge (2EXXX), information management (3AXXX) and communications (3CXXX). 

"The new cyberspace support badge should be in AAFES Clothing Sales in the coming months and will be mandatory June 1, 2010," Chief Call said.