The Air Force Space Command unit initially will mean only modest job growth for the base – a net gain of 40 military and civilian positions to run the wing’s new headquarters.
But far more important, it establishes Robins as a focal point in the battle to execute and build Air Force and Defense Department capabilities in the cyberspace arena. Col. Theresa Giorlando, the new 689th commander, underscored the significance at a press conference following the activation ceremony.
“It brings engagement in a very exciting mission and it will build Warner Robins into a center of cyber excellence,” Giorlando explained.
Maj. Gen. Polly Peyer, commander of the Warner Robins Air Logistics Center at Robins, agreed with Giorlando.
“We are extremely proud to have the 689th join our team,” Peyer noted. “The selection of Robins as the home base for a wing involved with the Air Force’s cyberspace mission is a tribute to the dedication and expertise of our workforce, both military and civilian.”
The new wing will lash together the 700-person 5th Combat Communications Group at Robins – a local fixture since 1964 -- and a sister organization, the 3rd Combat Communications Group, at Tinker Air Force Base, Okla. Some 6,000 Air National Guard and Air Force Reserve members across the nation also will report to the 689th.
Yet it is the mission – more than the numbers – that makes Monday a red-letter day for the base. The 689th is one of three wings under the newly established 24th Air Force, an element of Air Force Space Command. That connection will bring additional focus to Robins as the federal government and the Defense Department flesh out the nation’s response to the growing cyberspace threat.
Gen. C. Robert Kehler, Space Command commander, underscored the importance of the new Robins connection by attending Monday’s ceremony.
“The president has established a cyber defense strategy that is in work,” Kehler noted at the press conference. “That resulted in the Secretary of Defense directing the establishment of a sub unified command called U.S. Cyber Command. Our job now is to position our forces so they are usable by that command. That’s why we stood up 24th Air Force and the 689th Wing.”
Retired Air Force Maj. Gen. Ron Smith, a former Warner Robins Air Logistics Center commander, said he was elated for Robins and the community.
“The cyber business is a growth commodity and for this headquarters anchor to be formed at Robins speaks well for the base’s ability to support those types of missions,” he said. “It’s a great, great day for Robins.”
Gaining new missions – particularly in a growth area – is a major accomplishment, Smith stressed.
“And it’s pretty exciting to be in on the ground floor. Can you have enough mission anchors for the base? Probably not, but certainly this is very good news,” he said.
How expansive the cyberspace role might become is uncertain, although current challenges are already formidable.
Kehler said Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, 24th Air Force commander, has been given two major responsibilities.
“One is to be the component commander for Air Force forces to U.S. Cyber Command,” he said. “We’ve also given him command over Air Force networks, which means he can direct defensive activities under supervision from U.S. Cyber Command and take operational activities to configure our networks on a day-to-day basis.”
Kehler stressed that the cyberspace threat calls for a culture change throughout the Air Force.
“There are cyberspace threats that we have to deal with – everything from vandalism or criminal activity to spies and determined nation states trying to steal secrets,” he said. “Everyone has a responsibility to help defend our activities.”
The new cyberspace focus has been placed in Space Command for good reasons, he pointed out.
“In Space Command, there is synergy in training and conceptual approach,” the commander said. “Our challenge is to look and see what the relationship really is (between space and cyberspace) and how we can leverage one or the other.”
Space Command already brings significant contributions to the warfighter. Kehler quoted a slogan that echoes throughout his Colorado headquarters: “Space gives the joint team the ability to navigate with accuracy, communicate with certainty, see the battlefield with clarity and strike with precision.”
“Those are enormous capabilities,” the general pointed out, “and they are all related to cyberspace. So there is a natural intersection between space and cyberspace and we see tremendous potential … and advantages as we bring this team together.”
The goal is not to duplicate activities, he added. “We’re postured pretty well today and we’ll know a lot more as the years go by,” he emphasized. “I suspect in a couple of years we might not look the way we do today.”
In the arenas of air, space and cyberspace, Space Command now has the lead responsibility for two of them.
“The Air Force mission is to fly, fight and win in all three,” Kehler said. “So we have a real obligation to partner with our air teammates and make sure we’re pulling all of this together.”
Post a Comment