Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Tex.), reports the Houston Chronicle, is working with other lawmakers to form a Blue Ribbon Panel to address the nation’s cyber threat,. McCaul is ranking member of the emerging threats and cyber security panel of the Committee on Homeland Security. Committee chairman Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.) sent a letter last week criticizing Homeland Security for stonewalling committee efforts to find out about a purported “Cyber Initiative” that the Administration may unveil next month. We take exception to McCaul’s statement that, since 9/11, “very little attention has been paid to the virtual threats.” Perhaps that is true for Homeland Security, but the Air Force has been creating cyber cops and a cyber command to harness the expertise needed to address such threats, primarily for military operations but the service’s cyber experts know they cannot ignore the threat to commercial and civil operations. Here’s a good primer for the Blue Ribbon Panel, Victory in Cyberspace.
As commander of Air Forces Central, Lt. Gen. Alexus G. Grynkewich has been at the heart of almost all U.S. military action in the Middle East, from overseeing airstrikes against Iranian proxy groups to protecting troops as America’s air defense commander for the region. Just before handing over his command to…