As a sign of the growing importance of cyber security, the Air Force earlier this month stood up the 690th Cyberspace Operations Squadron at JB Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, according to a base release. The squadron’s activation followed the inactivation of Hickam’s 561st Network Operations Squadron, Det. 1. The new unit hosts some 144 airmen who will conduct cyber operations 24 hours a day in order to provide “agile cyber combat support” around the world, states the Jan. 22 release. “What is improving with the 690th COS activation is an effort to develop better network situational awareness [and] to become less reactive and more proactive,” said Col. Chad Raduege, commander of the 690th Cyberspace Operations Group. “The 690th COS can provide a more proactive mission of identifying and closing vulnerabilities, as well as interpreting cyber intelligence and implementing new network configurations,” he said.
The Air Force plans to shutter several units dedicated to training foreign militaries in a bid to save money amid shifting priorities across the Defense Department.
