The Record from Recorded Future News’ Post

Despite the fact that the Air Force was formally established in 1947, each branch of the military maintains their own aircraft (minus the Space Force). Why have a separate Air Force when the Army, Navy, Marines, and Coast Guard all have their own aircraft? It is because of the different mission sets, necessary culture for those missions, and the training needed to support those missions. The culture of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, and Coast Guard are all different, including different standards, traditions, and training requirements. Yet each branch is proficient at what they do; their pilots know how to get the job done. The reason for each branch still having air capabilities while an Air Force exists is to have organic elements within those forces. It is sometimes essential to have internal air resources for a specific mission set, rather than rely entirely on a separate branch. I see the creation of a Cyber Force having the same impact. A specific mission of defensive and offensive operations would be the priority for a Cyber Force. Of course each branch would still need to maintain their own internal Cyber warriors, mainly for the defense of their own networks. However, the nation's main fighting force in the digital realm would be the Cyber Force. Our allies, such as Germany and Norway, as well as an adversary, China, have already created a separate Cyber Force. It is not a matter of if, but when will we recognize that a new force is needed to answer our nation's call when it comes to cyber? Hopefully we do so before we fall too far behind as a fighting force. Our military needs a separate Cyber Force with it's own culture, it's own training, and it's own standards (which will have to include a revision of military pay) in order to continue to attract and retain the talent needed to fight and win our nation's digital wars. Military Cyber Professionals Association The Association of U.S. Cyber Forces (AUSCF) #cyber #security #defense

The U.S. Air Force just released an IG report on its investigation into Airman Jack Teixeira - who has been charged with unlawful disclosure of classified national defense information. You may recall him as the airman who disclosed classified intel with his Discord buddies. The report has some interesting tidbits related to behaviors of Teixeira that the USAF contends should have been better addressed at the time by his leadership than the behaviors apparently were. One example provided in the report is: "on 15 Sep 22, a unit member noticed A1C Teixeira again viewing intelligence products and saw him writing information on a post-it note. A1C Teixeira was confronted about the note and directed to shred it. However, it was never verified what was written on the note or whether it was shredded." The end result of this was punishment (unspecified) for 15 USAF personnel - from staff sergeant right up to full bird colonel. You can bet the colonel's upward progression in the USAF is effectively over - as is probably some or all of the rest of those punished. Link to IG PDF report at af[.] mil website: https://lnkd.in/eEpbUQfs #cybersecurity #personnelmanagement

I am encouraged by movements in DoD. To effectively counter complex threats in the modern information environment, USCYBERCOM should adopt a holistic approach that integrates both technical and cognitive aspects of Information Warfare. The evolving nature of cyber threats from peer and near-peer adversaries demands a sophisticated understanding and operational capability that transcends traditional cyber operations. The Department of Defense must prioritize developing strategies that not only effectively compete but decisively win in the information environment. This strategy must encompass the development of advanced technical tools and, crucially, an understanding of the cognitive landscape in which these tools are employed. The goal is not only to protect and defend but to proactively shape the information battlespace, ensuring strategic advantages in a realm where information is as critical as physical might.

More thoughts on the case for a Cyber Force and the FY25 NDAA from Rep. Fallon in Newsweek: “a bipartisan coalition of lawmakers is pursuing legislation in support of a Cyber Force. Our priority in this year's National Defense Authorization Act utilizes an independent, objective approach to evaluate how a notional, unified Cyber Force would compare to the present, fragmented approach by each of the four services.” Check it out: https://lnkd.in/eJfi9dVe

Ten years ago the Cyber National Mission Force was activated as a subordinate unit to U.S. Cyber Command with a mission to plan, direct and synchronize #cyberspace operations to deter, deny, and if necessary, defeat adversary cyber actors in order to Defend the Nation. Since its inception, #CNMF has rapidly evolved to meet the needs of the Nation, and has participated in, or responded to, almost every national crisis the U.S. has faced. Throughout the last decade, CNMF has consistently broken new #cyber barriers, finding solutions and responding to complex problems such as defending U.S. #elections against #foreign interference and influence, disrupting attacks against U.S. #criticalinfrastructure, and accelerating its defend forward mission across the globe, even amidst a global pandemic. Today, CNMF is the U.S. military’s elite #joint cyber force, organized into six joint task forces, comprised of over 2,000 Soldiers, Sailors, Marines, Airmen, Coast Guardsmen, and United States Department of Defense civilians, all working together to Defend the Nation against the world’s most advanced malicious cyber actors.

I’m not thrilled with the “warfare against the U.S.” framing of this piece, but I do find the substance relevant and believe in the severity of the problem for peacebuilders to understand & address together with our many partners in the security sector. “the information environment [is described] as ‘the aggregate of social, cultural, linguistic, psychological, technical, and physical factors that affect how humans and automated systems derive meaning from, act upon, and are impacted by information, including the individuals, organizations, and systems that collect, process, disseminate, or use information.’ While that definition underscores the complexity of the information landscape, its breadth is so great that it may not aid comprehension or planning…. Others sometimes conceptualize information warfare too narrowly, focusing only on the role of information as part of military operations, with an emphasis on cyber security.” Bradley Bowman Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) 🔗 in comments

"Together, these actions seek to bring closer to fruition the vision to make CYBERCOM in the image of U.S. Special Operations Command, with unique service-like authorities to equip warfighters and set training standards along with a civilian secretary-like position overseeing the policy. In the case of SOCOM, that oversight is provided by the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity conflict..." 📌 Full story below on Gen. Timothy Haugh's, CYBERCOM commander, vision for what the command and cyber forces will look like going forward.

NSA official is expected pick for Marines information job, as Corps handles backlog of leadership moves Read more on the link below. #defense #sbir #military #jointwerx #cmmc #cyber #cybersecurity @jointwerx @blackhaysgroup #GovernmentContracts #InfoSec #CyberDefense #NationalSecurity #DigitalTransformation #PublicSector #Startups #TechInnovation

No. Cyber forces should be fully integrated into existing organizations as a core component

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