The Air Force has added about half of the roughly 2,000 people that make up the service’s portion of the Cyber Mission Force, and by the end of the month should have 17 teams at initial operating capability and two teams at full operating capability, the head of Air Forces Cyber Command said at ASC15. “We’re about halfway through the build,” Maj. Gen. Ed Wilson, commander of 24th Air Force and AF Cyber said Tuesday. “We’re beginning to now see the difference those teams are making” in terms of options available, he said. But though the existing cyber force is strong, there are not nearly enough people with cybersecurity skills, said Maj. Gen. James Marrs, who recently left US Cyber Command and now serves as director of intelligence for the Joint Staff. “We need to find a way to generate a predictable and reliable supply of motivated and professional cyber talent,” he said.
The Air Force is moving forward with a new, algorithm-driven system to help U.S. Northern Command better detect airborne threats. NORTHCOM and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, which are tasked with protecting the homeland from attack, depend on a slew of radars and other data systems to monitor U.S.…