US Air Force Introduces ‘Task Force Cyber Secure’ to tackle cyber attacks

Task Force Cyber Secure” was signed and established by Chief of Staff (CSAF) General Mark Walsh III on March 20, 2015 as part of the continuous effort to effectively address cyber threats and vulnerabilities affecting the US Air Force’s core missions.
According to the USAF press release, the said task force is geared to address “challenges of the cyberspace domain in synchronization, operations and governance with the Air Force and those organizations it supports.”
Walsh further added that the task force is essential in the awareness of the possible threats and corresponding impacts against the security of their cyberspace domain.

According to the Secretary of the Air Force (SECAF) Chief of Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer, Lt. Gen. Bill Bender, the task force shall focus on three main areas including developing a risk management plan and recommending investment priorities to the SECAF and addressing the for CSAF to ascertain the solutions for cyber security challenges encountered. These are of course, on top of their imminent assessment of existing threats and vulnerabilities.

Lt. Bender further noted that protecting information technology which has been the Air Force’s primary thrust in terms of cyber security for the last twenty years is merely 20 percent of the problem. Thus, the newly established task force will now aid in ensuring the remaining 80 percent of the risk and vulnerabilities related to cyber security are bit by bit scrutinized.
Pete Kim who also currently serves as the Cyberspace Operations and Warfighting Integration acting director, is tasked to lead the daily task force operations. The responsibility of ensuring the efforts and action plans are distributed well among the departments and commands throughout the Air Force falls on his hands.

Kim also mentioned that it is an opportune time to utilize available resources to take consistent steps in looking, acknowledging and improving safety and cyber security.