JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO -- LACKLAND, Texas –
Air National Guard Adjutants General, Assistant Adjutants General, Wing Commanders, and other key ANG leaders spent the day with the 24th Air Force commander and staff April 24, 2017, at Joint Base San Antonio – Lackland, Texas, to gain a better understanding of the cyber mission and the role of the ANG within it.
The conference began with a briefing from the 24th AF commander, Maj. Gen. Chris Weggeman, where guests were given a deep-dive look into what “cyber in war” looks like and how it functions from an Air Force perspective. From there conversation moved to the unique challenges faced by Guardsmen engaged in the cyber mission.
Currently ANG units functionally aligned underneath 24th AF exist in 31 U.S. states. Air National Guard units provide a vast array of cyber capabilities to 24th AF, from defending networks and detecting intrusions to developing cyber training used across all Air Forces Cyber. Notably, 95% of all cyber Engineering and Installation capability as well as 70% of Combat Communication capability reside with the ANG. And while all Department of Defense branches provide teams to the U.S. Cyber Command National Mission Force to defend the nation from foreign cyber threats, only the Air Force augments its teams with Guardsmen.
As both a national and state asset, National Guard cyber units are also uniquely situated to support cyber needs from non-DoD players. Critical U.S. infrastructure exists within the federal government, state, and private industry alike, and building seamless, dynamic response capability across all areas is vital to a strong national cyber defense.
Discussions at the conference also included briefings on current operations with Combat Communication, Engineering and Installation and cyberspace units, an overview of present-day cyberspace law, and an update on Cyber Shield 17. Currently ongoing, National Guard units from 44 states are participating in this year’s iteration of the premier annual, multi-service cyber defense training exercise, which aims to hone participants’ skills in network defense and threat response.