Crawl, Walk, Run

Crawl, Walk, Run: The Air Force's nascent cyber operations organization, 24th Air Force, is still very much in the process of standing up its headquarters at Lackland AFB, Tex., Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, commander of the new cyber arm, said Monday. Speaking to attendees at AFA’s Air & Space Conference, Webber said his headquarters staff is fairly small today, numbering only about 40 persons, but will grow to about 191. His operations center, which still needs to migrate from its old home at Barksdale AFB, La. (where the Air Force has its provisional cyber command), will have about 200 personnel at maturity. The Air Force activated 24th AF last month under Air Force Space Command. Unlike most other NAFs, Webber's organization will not be the tenant at any installation where it has a presence, a position he called "a very important plus." He explained that would allow 24th AF to be "much more heavily focused" on current operations. Some of the nearer term tasks on its agenda include developing a common operational picture for cyber and determining the procedures for disseminating and installing computer patches quickly across the entire Air Force to protect the service's computer networks, Webber said.

—Michael C. Sirak

9/15/2009

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Appreciative Host
"I know you're here during a difficult time. You're here through Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's. I promise you, we will find turkeys."
—Republic of Lithuania Chief of Defence Maj. Gen. Arvydas Pocius, expressing his thanks to airmen of the 493rd Fighter Squadron from RAF Lakenheath, Britain, who on Sept. 1, 2010, began a four-month stint with their F-15s in Lithuania to protect the airspace of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania under NATO's Baltic air policing mission.

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Family Momentum
"In many ways, this was what the Year of the Air Force Family was all about—connecting airmen and their families with the resources they need. I have confidence the Air Force will capitalize on this strong momentum in the years ahead by continuing to improve our family support programs and ensuring people know what resources are available."
—Suzie Schwartz, wife of USAF Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz, commenting on the accomplishments of the Year of the Air Force Family initiative that concluded in July, in a statement provided to the Daily Report, Aug. 22, 2010.