Senior Air Force Space Command officials on Monday held a panel for cadets at the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., to discuss how the Air Force’s recently reorganized cyberspace career specialties might fit into these cadets’ futures. “We need folks with technical backgrounds who can take those backgrounds and put them to use,” said Brig. Gen. Dave Warner, AFSPC’s chief information officer, during the discussion. He added, “No matter what the mission is [it] can’t get done without the network. Know the network—how to protect it, how to defend it, and how to deliver capabilities through it.” Brig. Gen. Dana Born, USAFA faculty dean, said the school strives to provide cadets not only with the technology exposure, but also with an understanding of the political and ethical aspects of the cyber mission so that they will succeed. (Academy report by SSgt. Don Branum)
U.S. Southern Command recently announced its first lethal strike on a suspected narco-trafficking vessel in two months, and the first under a newly formed permanent counter-cartel task force. The U.S. is also reportedly planning to transfer MQ-9 drones to Colombia to bolster its counter-cartel efforts.