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Keesler marks major milestone in cyber training

  • Published
  • By Capt. Magina Baonga
  • 333rd Training Squadron
KEESLER AIR FORCE BASE, Miss. --  Wednesday, the 81st Training Group marks a momentous event in cyber history by hosting a banquet to celebrate the transformation of the communications career fields to cyberspace operations.

Hosted by Brig. Gen. Andrew Mueller, 81st Training Wing commander, the occasion commemorates the standup of 19 new cyber courses in the 81st Training Group for both officer and enlisted personnel.

May 29, 2009, President Barack Obama stated that the nation's computer network infrastructure will be defended as a national strategic asset.

Just four months later, President Obama's vision was implemented when the 332nd Training Squadron stood up the first course, information technology fundamentals. Eighteen additional courses stood up at Keesler since then, with the last course, 1B4 cyberspace defense operator, launched Jan. 24. Members of that first class receive their cyberspace badges at the banquet before graduating May 20 and heading to their newly-assigned bases as cyberspace operations forces.

The 1B4 course, also known as the cyberspace warfare course, provides 85 days of initial skills training to supply cyberspace defense operators to various cyber operations units across the Air Force. A new class begins every six weeks with up to 12 students per class.

Communications enlisted personnel became cyberspace Airmen when certain career fields were combined into one. Information management, technical control, voice/cable, communications operations and some cryptography and programmer Air Force Specialty Codes combined to form the cybersurety AFSC.

Other cryptography, technical control and voice systems AFSCs became the cyber transport Systems AFSC. Upon completion of basic training, all nonprior service Airmen assigned to a cyber AFSC attend nine training days of information technology fundamentals where they learn basic computer networking.

Depending on the individual's specialty, enlisted members then complete from 41 to 139 days of training to earn 3D0XX and 3D1XX AFSCs. Officer training consists of 115 days of undergraduate cyberspace training and additional initial qualification training before award of the 17D AFSC.

"It's hard to find skilled cyber professionals," said Tech. Sgt. Dennis Wilson, a former programmer who's now a cyberspace defense operator and instructor. "There is a level of knowledge involved in what we do that surpasses undergraduate technological degrees. Combining AFSCs is putting a greater expectation on our airmen -- they are expected to know and perform even more tasks with these new changes. There are years of training and experience involved in becoming a master of the cyber domain. We've got the ball and we are running with it!"

Cyber training captures more than just the cyberspace operations AFSCs -- it goes beyond initial skills training and includes all users of cyberspace. As an undergraduate cyber training student who hails from Air Force Space Command, civilian Kevin LaSalle believes that "the inherent requirement is to educate and inform all users on the functional and operational capabilities of cyberspace and to be fully prepared to defend as necessary."

Capt. Joshua Bishop, a current UCT student and intelligence officer by trade, stated that "the undergraduate cyber training course is a direct reflection of the Air Force's mission to fly, fight and win...in air, space and cyberspace. The skills taught at Keesler will equip future cyberspace operations Airmen with the tools they will need to not only support and maintain Air Force networks, but to also defend Air Force freedom of movement within the cyber domain. The core curriculum within the schoolhouse meets the demanding requirements of an operational Airman and develops cyber professionals prepared for the highly dynamic space within which they will operate on a daily basis."