Success in the cyber domain requires “big brains” instead of “big guns and big brawn,” said Lt. Gen. Michael Basla, vice commander of Air Force Space Command. Speaking at AFA’s first-ever CyberFutures Conference, Basla said the Air Force needs “CSI types” who can look at complicated code, figure out how to reverse engineer it, and then use it against America’s adversaries, if necessary. USAF also needs airmen, who, as programmers, are capable of understanding the complicated ins and outs of the cyber world, including the way information moves from one spectrum to another, he said. It’s also going to be vital that airmen who specialize in intelligence, acquisition, and engineering remain in the cyber domain throughout their careers, so they can competently address the constant changes, said Basla. “The key will be stability through operational and skilled people,” he said.
In the small world of Air Force weather specialists, combat weather specialists are a niche unto themselves, deploying with Army ground units to provide forecasts and, if need be, fight alongside those Soldiers. For Staff Sgt. Francisco Estrada, the hardest part of the job isn’t the possibility of ground combat,…
