Speaker Dispels Cyber Myths

At a time when the Air Force as a whole is shrinking—by about 18,000 personnel—the service's cyber forces are growing as an integral component of the nation's defense strategy, Col. Michael Harasimowicz, USAF, commander of the 688th Cyber Space Wing (CSW), told the chapter's September gathering. Col. Harasimowicz, whose wing supports some 700 cyber personnel in San Antonio and about 200 more in other locations, said that busting certain "cyber myths" is key to getting the rest of the Air Force and other branches to fully understand and embrace the role of cyber in their missions. "When you hear these things said, you've got to shut that down real quickly," he said. One example would be the myth that cyber is geeky. "Now, we may enjoy the occasional Hot Pocket and Mountain Dew, but we're warriors, engaged with the enemy on a daily basis," Harasimowicz said. Other myths include the notion that cyber is new or that cyber is all about flashy new toys. Those who are doing the testing and training, Harasimowicz said, "are discovering that the threat gets a vote, and quite frankly, they've kicked it up a notch." So "it's not about the toys, it's about the capability." A fourth myth is that Air Forces Cyber is "just a body pool for the [National Security Agency]," supplying manpower needs. The truth is, "AFCyber is not just people, but weapons systems, operations, access measures, intelligence—it's like a multicourse meal we're giving to CyberCom when talking about capabilities," he said. One common belief about cyber that happens to be true: It is a man-made domain. "And we've got to take advantage of that" by building complexities into the physical networks and building more agile defense systems, Harasimowicz said. Understanding the users who may access or try to hack the system is also crucial and one of the most vulnerable areas to defend. Harasimowicz identified two key objectives for the 688th CSW: making the Defense Department's cyber mission force successful and defending and enhancing key Air Force mission systems. For a long time, he said, the second objective revolved around the Air Force Network Integration Center, but new leaders are beginning to realize that fighter systems and other mission-critical tools may be at risk without rapid and efficient deployment of cyber systems. "You know that something has changed when you go to Las Vegas—'home of the fighter pilot'—when you walk into the room and there's a warm welcome for the cyber guy," he said. "The rest of the Air Force is starting to get it and the rest of [the Defense Department]."

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