USAF Cyber Capability Development: A Vision for Future Cyber Warfare & a Concept for Education of Cyberspace Leaders

Abstract

Significant and interrelated problems are hindering the Air Force's development of cyber warfare capabilities. The first is a lack of awareness about why the AF has chosen to take cyber warfare on as a core capability on par with air and space. The second stems from the lack of a commonly understood vision for how future AF cyber warfighting capabilities will support our national security objectives. This research project addressed these problems by exploring the following questions: - What types and ranges of offensive and defensive cyber effects might the Air Force provide, both externally for the combatant commanders and internally for self-defense, in the near and medium term futures? - How should the Air Force develop and make those capabilities available to combatant commanders and internally? - How might the Air Force nurture the cyber-oriented leaders who will envision and build the cyber capabilities needed in the future? The contributions of this research include a strategic vision for future cyber warfare capabilities that support both the combatant commanders and internal service needs. It also introduces a means of developing cyber warrior-scholars who will shape the cyber warfare domain of the future. The vision for future capabilities is expressed through a set of vignette/discussion pairs. In Day in the Life prose form, each vignette describes a situation and how the forces involved in the scenario handle the situation. An analysis of the people, processes and technology of each vignette evaluates how the services may organize, train, and equip to produce the required capabilities.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2009
Accession Number
ADA539513

Entities

People

  • Paul D. Williams

Organizations

  • Air Command and Staff College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Cyber

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Air Power
  • Combatant Commanders
  • Computer Networks
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Cyber Warfare
  • Cyberspace Operations
  • Employment
  • Information Operations
  • Information Systems
  • Military Force Levels
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Security
  • Network Science
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Cybersecurity.
  • Joint Military Operations and Doctrine.

Technology Areas

  • Cyber
  • Space