The undergraduate cyberspace training course at Keesler AFB, Miss., on Wednesday graduated its first class of 15 officers. The students completed six months of rigorous training with the 333rd Training Squadron, learning the fundamentals of operations in the cyber domain. The course is part of the Air Force’s vision for a “fully developed Air Force cyberspace operations workforce,” according to Keesler’s release. “You might not fully appreciate the magnitude of your military service in this mission area right now, but I promise you that if you maintain your commitment and stay in the armed forces, when you look back on your life one day, you [will] realize how unbelievable it was to have had this historic opportunity to be part of such a special, pioneering group,” said Maj. Gen. Michael Basla, Air Force Space Command vice commander, at the dinner honoring the graduates. (See also Back to Cyberspace)
The U.S. supports “a stronger and more capable” European defense, Defense Secretary Lloyd J. Austin III said during an Oct. 22 press conference in Brussels—but that defense should not duplicate the functions and capabilities of the NATO alliance.