[Infowarrior] - AFCYBER is back again (y/n/abort?)

[Richard Forno]

Air Force pursues Cyber Command again
By Bob Brewin, bbrewin at govexec.com   10/07/08

http://www.nextgov.com/nextgov/ng_20081007_1366.php

Top Air Force leadership has decided to pursue forming Cyber Command  
to defend Defense Department networks and to launch cyberattacks  
against foes after putting the project on hold in August.

Comment on this article in The Forum.The service's leadership,  
including Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Chief of Staff Gen.  
Norton Schwartz, made the decision last week at the Corona senior  
leadership conference in Colorado Springs, Colo., to continue its  
effort to stand up the command, said Capt. Michael Andrews, an Air  
Force spokesman.

The service put Cyber Command on hold in August, saying it wanted to  
delay the program until new senior Air Force leaders, including  
Schwartz, had time to make a final decision on the scope and mission  
of the command. Last month, sources said the Pentagon decided that the  
U.S. Strategic Command in Omaha, Neb., should create and run a joint  
Cyber Command, a move that seemingly dashed any hopes the Air Force  
had to own Defense's cyber responsibilities.

In May, Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England wrote in a memo,  
"Because all the combatant commands, military departments and other  
defense components need the ability to work unhindered in cyberspace,  
the domain does not fall within the purview of any particular  
department or component."

The service originally had decided to establish the Cyber Command as a  
separate unit within Air Force Space Command, and during the Corona  
conference, leadership "discussed how the Air Force will continue to  
develop capabilities in this new domain and train personnel to execute  
this new mission."

"The conduct of cyber operations is a complex issue, as [Defense] and  
other interagency partners have substantial equity in the cyber  
arena," Donley said. "We will continue to do our part to increase Air  
Force cyber capabilities and institutionalize our cyber mission."

Andrews said the Air Force will provide more details on the Cyber  
Command later in October after discussions with Pentagon and  
congressional leadership.