The Air Force will establish three new Total Force cyber units this year, said Secretary Michael Donley at AFA’s CyberFutures Conference outside of Washington, D.C. This includes an Air National Guard information operations squadron in Washington state, another one in California, and then one Air Force Reserve Command unit that will form an association with the 33rd Network Warfare Squadron at Lackland AFB, Tex., a part of Joint Base San Antonio. In addition, the Air Force plans to expand the Maryland ANG’s 175th NWS, he said during his March 23 address. “We’ve made considerable progress in being able to meet the threats and challenges of cyberspace by fielding a Total Force of over 45,000 trained and certified professionals, equipped to ensure the continuity of operations in cyberspace,” said Donley.
Trainees in Basic Military Training and technical school no longer have the option to try alternate PT drills if they fail an initial assessment, according to a policy change the Air Force made in April. The move is part of a larger shift out of the classroom and into hands-on,…