Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James, in her speech on Monday at AFA’s Air & Space Conference in National Harbor, Md., said the service needs to increase its focus and investment in cyber security. In particular, she said, the Air Force needs to build in cyber defense requirements for its networks and platforms rather than performing security patches after the fact, which she referred to as “bolting something on.” Brig. Gen. Sarah Zabel, the Air Staff’s head of cyber operations and information dominance, echoed James’ point, when she told reporters on Monday this means making security requirements unambiguous up front. Information and cyber security is a paramount concern especially since most of the Air Force’s major acquisition programs, such as the F-35, are heavily dependent on the development of secure information systems to be effective. When a major system is acquired, and it takes years to work through requirements, cyber security is all too often brought up at the end, she said. “I think in the past, we haven’t done as good a job articulating those requirements up front,” said Zabel.
Pentagon Releases Cost of Living, BAH Rates for 2026
Dec. 30, 2025
The Pentagon will pay cost of living allowances to 127,000 service members in the continental U.S. in 2026, an increase of 66,000 members in 2025. Airmen and Guardians across the U.S. will also receive an average increase of 4.2 percent for their Basic Housing Allowance, compared to the 5.4 percent…
