Ever since the Air Force broke off from the Army in 1947, the flyboys have prided themselves on being the military’s resident techies — the dudes with the newest gadgets and the coolest toys. That gear-head role has become increasingly important, lately, now that so few other countries can lift a finger to stop American dominance of the skies. That’s sent the Air Force hunting for new missions; look at the airmen’s recent attempt to become the Defense Department’s gatekeepers for unmanned aerial vehicles, for example.
Now, the Air Force has assigned itself another hi-tech job, according to its new mission statement:
The mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests — to fly and fight in Air, Space, and Cyberspace…
As Airmen, it is our calling to dominate Air, Space, and Cyberspace. If we can decisively and consistently control these commons, then we will deter countless conflicts. If our enemies underestimate our resolve; then we will fly, fight, and destroy them.
“We have quite a few of our Airmen dedicated to cyberspace … from security awareness, making sure the networks can’t be penetrated, as well as figuring out countermeasures,” Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne told Air Force Print News. “The Air Force is a natural leader in the cyber world and we thought it would be best to recognize that talent.“
“The pioneers of airpower…knew what their mission was: to fly and fight wherever our Nation calls,” Wynne added in a letter to airmen. “The Air Force’s mission statement has evolved over time, but it does not change the nature of who we are or what we do… Keep up the great work!“
(Big ups: AS, DS)
Yes, this Air Force is doing a bang up job with high tech. They defend our nation in fighters built in the ‘70s. It’s not that we actually own any air defense fighters, but they could be used for that. When their nifty new fighter, precious, finally becomes operational, it will already be 20 years old and faces parts obsolescence issues as it is being tested for operational suitability. And these are the youngsters. Most of the rest are truly ancient. I don’t even want this Air Force protecting our air space, let alone our cyberspace.
Good Morning Fols,
To good of a cheap shot, I just can’t resist. New name for the the cadets at the Air Force Academy “Space Cadets.
ALLONS,
Byron Skinner
Its funny you say that Dfens, I really couldnt imagine the military without the Air Force. Our technology is 20 years old? Sounds like a bit of an exaggeration, even so… if that is the case we’re still decades ahead of any other country tough guy. If you understood the whole process of putting technology into use, it does take a long time. But maybe you just believe its invented one day and ready-to-use the following day? Are you 8 years old or do you just have the brain of one?
Quick comment. Promoting yourself as some sort of cyber-defence org does not mean jack unless you have some sort of authority over other branches of government. None of the countless internet governance/enforcment bodies have any teeth. No-one can go to say, the directory of the FBI and tell them that they need to get their shit together. How many cyber-tsars have we been through, 4?
Careful, Dfens. There are a few errors in your arguments.
Simply– modern aircraft are an order of magnitude more complex than planes like the F-86 or B-29.
The state of the art in 1950 hardly bears comparison to the state of the art in 1980, let alone today.
Let’s look at this from an engineering perspective. Consider the P-51: it went from a rough design in 1940 to dominating the skies by 1944. The A-1 Skyraider was designed in a single night, according to air lore. The development cycle for a new airframe might be completed in a few years.
Now add in modern radar, comm, navigation, life support (and that’s only the tip of the iceberg) as well as the flexibility, speed, and endurance we expect from a modern combat aircraft and suddenly you’re lucky if your production will spin up inside a decade.
This isn’t to say the development and acquisition process doesn’t need reform– it does– but you can’t judge this century by the standards of fifty years ago.
As for those snarky comments about MS-DOS (which hit too close to home for this old comm hand) you should see the mix of equipment AF 3CXs and 2E2s have mastered.