[Infowarrior] - AF Cyber Command officials define unit's scope

[Richard Forno]

Cyber Command officials define unit's scope

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123094897
by Karen Petitt 
Air Force Cyber Command (Provisional) Public Affairs

4/17/2008 - SCOTT AIR FORCE BASE, Ill. (AFPN) -- Ray guns and light sabers
may be weapons of science fiction, but using energy as a warfighting tool is
one area that members of the Air Force Cyber Command's 450th Electronic
Warfare Wing will be charged with exploring.

While details of the wing's composition, mission and manning are still being
developed as AFCYBER prepares to become operational by Oct. 1, it's clear
that Air Force officials plan to kick it up a notch when it comes to
dominance in the electromagnetic spectrum.

"We're going to stop yielding the battlefield to these people who can set
off explosives with a cell phone or who can use radar, radio waves or other
forms of energy to disrupt our mission or hurt our people," said Lt. Col.
Tim Sands, the AFCYBER Transition Team Chief with the 53rd Electronic
Warfare Group at Eglin Air Force Base, Fla.

Since Air Force officials added cyberspace as a warfighting domain and was
required to redefine airpower to include the use of electronics and the
electromagnetic spectrum, Colonel Sands and his team have been working to
identify resources and define the scope of their mission.

"What's happened in warfare is that it used to cost a lot to disable,
destroy or degrade capabilities," he said. "You can think of it as needing
the missile system, the aircraft or the actual bomb being dropped to
dominate the enemy. So, traditionally, our mission as electronic warfare
officers has focused on radar jamming, deception, coding new frequencies and
such, and mostly on airborne platforms such at the B-52 (Stratofortress),
F-15 (Eagle) and B-1B (Lancer).

"Now we've been asked to look at expanding our capabilities and one of these
areas is through the use of directed energy such as lasers or microwaves or
high powered electromagnetic pulses, for example. It still generates an
effect, but not in the traditional sense that we must actually drop a
munition on our target," Colonel Sands said. "Just what will be the scope of
operations in this venue is an area that will require intense research and
coordination to make sure our commanders have the tools they need both
offensively and defensively."

But warfare in the electromagnetic spectrum is more than the use of directed
energy. There are visible and non-visible aspects of the spectrum to include
infrared, ultra violet, gamma rays, X-rays and so forth, and those are
divided even further into electric and magnetic fields.

Determining the capabilities required to achieve a particular effect in
support of an overall campaign depends on what portion of cyberspace is
contested. Perhaps it would be necessary to use conventional attack methods
along with electronic warfare capabilities. That's why another job for
leadership is to develop the right type of warfighter for this domain.

Lt. Col. Michael Pandolfo, the 53rd EWG deputy commander for operations,
said what they need to do is build on the skill sets the officers and
enlisted members already have.

"The last thing we want to do is create a new tribe or new generation of
experts who are only concerned about this one area of warfighting," Colonel
Pandolfo said. "We've got to integrate these folks in and through other
areas of our Air Force missions. How to do this and what will it look like
is something that's being vigorously discussed. What we do know is that
we've begun cyber-specific training for our aircrews so they have a better
perspective of where we're at and where we're headed. But, there is still
much work to do." 

Another electronic warfare officer of 23 years who's been leading the charge
at the air staff level is Col. Bob Schwarze, the chief of EW and Cyber
Requirements at the Pentagon. He said the creation of this new EW wing will
consolidate what has been scattered throughout various commands in the past.

"Now what we're doing is looking at our mission and determining the
resources we need to accomplish it and do it in a way where we have a clear
chain of command," Colonel Schwarze said. "That's why you'll see some
intelligence capabilities, some space-related assets, and perhaps some
electronic maintenance folks who work with some of our EW airborne platforms
and such. Bringing us all together this way will help us manage the
resources and the people more effectively, which is one reason why AFCYBER
is standing up as a separate command."

During this transition period, the leadership emphasized that current
electronic warfare capabilities won't be affected negatively and that their
missions will proceed as normal. This is a good thing because electronic
warfare has historically been shown to be critical in preventing the enemy
from communicating and with providing tactical intelligence. 

Winston Churchill described the fighting during World War II as the "battle
of the beams," and with today's expanded technology and ease with which its
acquired, it's even more important for the 450th EWW to ensure commanders
have the tools needed to control and shape the battlefield.