New officer course boosts cyberspace transformation

by Susan Griggs
81st Training Wing Public Affairs

6/22/2010 - KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. (AFNS) -- A new undergraduate cyber training course for officers launched here June 15.

Air Force officials allocated $11.7 million to establish the course, and about $7.6 million has already been spent to upgrade facilities and purchase the computer infrastructure, simulators and laboratory networks to enhance Keesler AFB's classroom capabilities, said Lt. Col. Scott Solomon, the 333rd Training Squadron commander.

Although Keesler AFB officials have trained officers and enlisted members in communications, computer technology, air traffic control and electronics for decades, technical training is transitioning to support the Air Force's new roles in cyberspace operations. The training is intended to bolster the unfolding organizational, technical and security demands of a network-centric Air Force operating in the cyberspace domain.

"When the Air Force's mission changed to fly, fight and win in air, space and cyberspace, we didn't have the pipeline in place to train the new skills needed to operate in the cyberspace domain," Colonel Solomon said. "It's the one domain for which we didn't have an initial skills course.

"For years, we've done fundamental training in telecommunications, radar, radio, long-haul infrastructure, microwave and air traffic control systems, but now most of these things are connected at the Internet protocol level via the Internet," he said. "Our new cyberspace operators are going to be trained to operate looking through the lens at that IP level.

"In addition, we're not just teaching point A to point B communications connectivity," Colonel Solomon continued. "We're teaching our operators how to connect the dots for operational effect, a fundamental change in how we've conducted our training in the past."

The new course provides initial training for 17DX cyber operations officers, a career field that replaces 33SX communications officers. The course is intended to provide a foundation on which officers can build their skill sets.

Graduates will have the fundamental training to establish, secure, operate, assess and actively defend seven types of networks, including command and control systems, IP, telephony, satellite and mobile telecommunications.

"What we'll be producing for the Air Force coming right out of initial skills training is an officer that is a full-up loaded round who can actually fly, fight and win in cyberspace," Colonel Solomon said. "In the past, there have been training gaps because of the evolving nature of cyberspace, a man-made domain that's changing all the time."

Because of the fluid nature of that domain, the colonel said it's essential to keep pace with changes in cyberspace technology, tactics, techniques and procedures.

"We've built into the program the capability to update course material as the technology changes," Colonel Solomon said. "We must ensure that we stay relevant and keep pace with the threats that are out there. The only way to do that is to incorporate changes as quickly as possible within the course curriculum standards."

The first class is expected to have 16 students. Up to 400 military members, civilians and international students are expected to complete the course annually.

"Every '17 Delta' active-duty officer that comes through the schoolhouse will (make a permanent change of station) and be here for six months," Colonel Solomon said. "The first phase of the course is at the unclassified level, where students earn their Security + certification which is a commercial standard in industry."

International students leave the course at the halfway point due to security clearance requirements for the second half of the course.

"In the second half of the course, students get into the 'meat and potatoes' of what it means to fly, fight and win in cyberspace at the IP level," Colonel Solomon said. "They'll do a lot of training on networking fundamentals and a variety of simulators. For example, in one exercise, two blue team students will be defending an installation's cyberspace while two red team students will be trying to penetrate the network boundaries and security."

Officers who complete the course will initially follow one of two career tracks.

A-Shred officers, about 15 percent of the class, will head to the 39th Information Operations Squadron at Hurlburt Field, Fla., for intermediate network warfare training, followed by mission qualification training and crew mission-ready training, usually at their assigned base.

B-Shred officers will move on to more mainstream communication officer duties involving telecommunications infrastructure, installation and operations, base communications, and network operations. They'll complete required qualification training at their assigned bases.

"We didn't develop this course in a vacuum. We had strong partnerships with the career fields managers, Air Education and Training Command representatives, other Department of Defense agencies, industry and academia to develop the most comprehensive and relevant course we can offer," Colonel Solomon said.

"Nobody in the world can contest our Air Force in the air and space domains. We dominate them," he added. "We also need to dominate cyberspace. It all starts right here at Keesler."