[Infowarrior] - Cyber Security, an Air Force Punchline?

[Richard Forno]

DefenseTech.org
September 26, 2012

Cyber Security, an Air Force Punchline?

by MIKE HOFFMAN

http://defensetech.org/2012/09/26/cyber-security-an-air-force-punchline/

Many U.S. generals will openly admit to knowing little about one of the
threats they all agree is one that is most dangerous to U.S. national
security — cyber security. Yet, those same generals have used their lack of
knowledge on the subject often as a punchline.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Mark Welsh stood up at the Air Force
Association’s annual conference September 18 and admitted he didn’t know
what an IP address was. The comment drew plenty of laughter form the crowd
of airmen and defense industry officials.

The Air Force’s top officer said he twitches when he says the word “cyber.”
He explained that “we have a lot of people in this discussion who don’t
really know what they’re talking about” when it comes to cyber issues.

“I know because they’re all like me,” Welsh said to more laughter from the
crowd.

He didn’t question whether the Air Force needed to take cyber security
seriously. He sees it as a priority. Welsh called it the future — “no doubt
in my mind.”

“Everything we do can be affected either by or through [cyber],” Welsh said.
“In either a good or a bad way.”

However, the Defense Department already receives about 10 million cyber
attacks everyday. Cyber analysts suspect potential enemies are already
establishing cyber war plans in case of a military engagement with the U.S.

Welsh pleaded with cyber experts to dumb down the way they explain threats
to Air Force leaders.

“When you come to educate us, don’t come in using cyber talk,” Welsh said.

The Air Force four-star said he worried the investments made in cyber could
be disappearing into a “black hole.” Welsh will wait until he understands
the cyber topic better, he said.

“So you just need to know I’m going to be going a little slow on the
operational side of cyber until I really understand what we’re doing,” he
said. “I’ll be the one you’re dragging, Willy. I’ll warn you now.”

An Air Force officer, who asked not to be named, said as he walked out of
the speech that he was surprised to hear the Air Force chief of staff plead
ignorance.

“Can you imagine if he said something like that about aircraft or weapons or
nuclear weapons?” the Air Force major said. “It would never happen. They’d
run him out of the Pentagon.”

Welsh told the crowd the Air Force might have to wait awhile before they
have the leaders in place with the appropriate cyber background to make
decisions on the subject.

“In 30 years you’ll have experts making these decisions,” Welsh said. “Right
now you’ve got idiots helping make these decisions. So common sense, plain
English will really help us.”

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Just because i'm near the punchbowl doesn't mean I'm also drinking from it.