There will be a growing gap in cyber needs going forward as the Defense Department struggles with the pressure from reduced budgets and sequestration, said Lt. Gen. Michael Basla, the Air Force’s chief information officer. Speaking to media Sept. 17 at AFA’s 2013 Air and Space Conference, Basla said he sees the resources line staying “constant, at best,” but the requirements for cyberspace will go up, leaving a gap that will continue to increase, in respect to hardware, software, and people. “So we’ve got to deal with that gap,” he asserted. Basla added that while there may be a chance of a slight increase in resources, it would come at “the expense of other capabilities.”
A half-dozen pilots from one of the Air Force’s premier F-16 units, the 20th Fighter Wing at Shaw Air Force Base, S.C., have been awarded one of the service’s highest decorations for their role in Operation Midnight Hammer, the June 2025 strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities.