The Air Force’s cyber operations arm, 24th Air Force at Lackland AFB, Tex., has received orders to spend a little less time in the virtual world and get more involved in real-world training exercises. “Right now we do a lot of simulation with cyberspace and it carries over to how we train and exercise,” said Brig. Gen. Charles Shugg, 24th vice commander, during a panel discussion on cyberspace last week at AFA’s Air Warfare Symposium in Orlando, Fla. “We’ve reached the point of time where we have to figure out our cyber attack [capability] and cyber defenses in conjunction with other domains,” he explained. In other words, USAF’s cyber warriors need to integrate more with airmen in the air and space domains and participate in real-world exercises with them.
Pentagon Task Force, FAA to Test Counter-Drone Laser
March 7, 2026
The Pentagon’s counter-drone task force announced it would conduct a high-energy laser test with the Federal Aviation Administration less than a month after the use of a military counter-drone laser on the southwest border prompted the FAA to shut down the airspace over El Paso, Texas.