Guard unit a potential site for Air Force Cyber Command mission

  • Published
  • By Master Sgt. Bob Oldham
  • 189th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
Fighting a cyber war from Little Rock Air Force Base with an enemy in some other country could become a reality if Air Force officials choose the Arkansas Air National Guard as a site for a Cyber Command mission.

The Guard's 189th Airlift Wing is one location in 18 states that the Air Force is reviewing for a possible Cyber Command mission.

The Air Force has sent letters to the governor of each of the 18 states, requesting their assistance for information and identifying criteria.

"A Cyber Command mission is a great fit for any Guard unit," said Col. Jim Summers, 189th Airlift Wing commander. "To go off to 'fight,' you just go to the office like you normally would for a drill, do your shift and are back home with your family afterwards."

The possibility of getting in on the ground floor of an important emerging Air Force mission is attractive, considering future rounds of Base Realignment and Closure Commissions are sure to continue to look at the value a base brings to the defense of the nation.

Arkansas Gov. Mike Beebe has expressed an interest in the Arkansas Air National Guard hosting the Cyber Command headquarters or an operational wing, group or squadron.
The governor has received letters from Air Force officials that explain the Air Force's four-step process that will determine the command's headquarters location.

Air Force officials have conducted a data call that will be used to pare down the list of potential sites.

Among the data being sought is information about:

* If similar cyber activities such as intelligence and space or satellite operations already operate at the installation; 

* The detail of the high-speed network capabilities and capacity for growth (i.e. fiber or cable, secure communications, joint or other Department of Defense networks available, support/maintenance level); 

* Proximity to existing high-technology processes or centers;

* If local universities or businesses support an existing Cyber-related workforce;

* Is the area subject to recurring natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, extensive flooding, fires, blizzards, ice storms, or earthquakes (as indicated by governmentally declared emergencies in the past 10 years) and does the local area have a reasonable disaster preparedness plan in place.

Once the data has been analyzed and the list of sites pared down, the Air Force will send a team to meet with base and community officials to discuss the data collected. Those locations that make the cut expect to know by mid-November 2008.

The final step is an environmental assessment of the locations that make the cut. The Air Force hopes to have the permanent Cyber Command home named by September 2009.

It's unclear at this point what the mixture of military and civilian positions each wing, group or squadron would have.

States being considered for Cyber Command missions are Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Iowa, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Utah and Virginia.
(Air Force Print News contributed to this article.)