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Assured Information Security Inc., Rome, New York (FA8750-12-D-0002); CACI Technologies Inc., Chantilly, Virginia (FA8750-12

The U.S. Air Force is placing a heavy emphasis on command and control, hardening against cyberthreats the service’s enterprise networks that control everything from state-of-the-art fighter jets to weapons systems. Competing priorities of speed, security and cost will drive cyber-based programs. “It’s all about the data,” said Maj. Gen. Dwyer Dennis, USAF, wrapping up the MILCOM 2016 conference in Baltimore.

The history of the Internet as we know it today doesn’t really date back that far. Some 25 years, really. But what is both enticing and concerning is that the rate of change in this arena constantly is speeding up, making it difficult to forecast where technology will go next.

Fifteen years of continuous combat on multiple global battlefields has made U.S. military troop readiness one of the most critical challenges facing the services and Defense Department in spite of advances in communications, networking and other computer technologies. Efforts to sustain troops and equipment have taken a toll on training in particular, making operational priorities and capability needs a highly relevant topic toward shaping the force of the future.