Schwartz: Space, cyberspace missions at risk - Air Force News | News from Afghanistan & Iraq - Air Force Times

Schwartz: Space, cyberspace missions at risk

ORLANDO, Fla. — When Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz took the stage here in front of most of the service’s four-star generals, he did not mention fighters, special operations or mobility.

He focused on space and cyberspace — silent missions that link the entire Air Force but face growing threats that could leave the nation vulnerable to attack.

“We have an enduring need for robust space and cyberspace capabilities,” Schwartz told an audience that included enlisted airmen as well as senior leaders and defense contractors Feb. 18 at the winter conference of the Air Force Association.

“Our efforts must be as ambitious ... as our dependence on these capabilities,” the chief said.

Schwartz’s declaration echoed his earlier advocacy for Air Force missions that had not always been a high priority — remote-controlled aircraft and nuclear deterrence.

Schwartz outlined several concerns about the vulnerability of the space and cyberspace missions.

The dependence on GPS satellites for navigation and targeting leaves the military vulnerable to an enemy who can jam the signals, Schwartz said. That enemy does not have to be a government. It could be terrorists as difficult to pinpoint as computer hackers targeting a military network.

With nations such as North Korea and Iran able to launch missiles into space, the security of satellites is threatened, the general said.

Space and cyberspace missions were brought together last year, when the service moved many of its communications and computer missions into Space Command and created the 24th Air Force to be the service’s in-house “cyber command.”

At the same time, Space Command’s nuclear missile role was transferred to the new Global Strike Command.

Leading Space Command through the changes is Gen. Robert Kehler, who told reporters at the Air Force Association gathering that bringing space and cyberspace together is a natural fit. Space, with its satellites, creates a communications and reconnaissance network. Part of the cyberspace mission is to protect the information produced by Space Command’s satellites.

The 24th Air Force is focusing on protecting the Air Force’s computer network, Kehler said. Any decision to expand protection to other Defense Department systems will have to come from U.S. Strategic Command.

While Space Command no longer has the nuclear missile mission, Kehler said missile officers will continue to have a role in the command. Kehler started as a missile officer before focusing on space operations and satellites.

When young missile officers, usually first lieutenants or junior captains, finish their first tour watching over nuclear missiles, many will have a second assignment in Space Command in such roles as operating satellites or overseeing satellite launches, Kehler said.