HANSCOM AIR FORCE BASE, Mass. –
The secretary of the Air Force and the vice chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff will headline a list of high-level speakers scheduled to address the Air Force Cyberspace Symposium II set for June 17 to 19 at the Best Western Royal Plaza Hotel and Trade Center in Marlborough, Mass.
Air Force Secretary Michael W. Wynne and JCS Vice Chairman Gen. James E. Cartwright will be joined by a number of other key Air Force leaders who will discuss the emerging and ever-expanding cyber challenges facing the nation. The theme for the symposium, co-sponsored by Electronic Systems Center, Air Force Cyberspace Command (Provisional) and the Air Force Association's Paul Revere Chapter, is "Equipping the Cyber Warrior to Fight in Cyberspace."
In addition to General Cartwright and Secretary Wynne, the symposium will feature ESC Commander Lt. Gen. Ted F. Bowlds, Defense Information Systems Agency Director Lt. Gen. Charles E. Croom Jr., 8th Air Force Commander Lt. Gen. Robert J. Elder, Air Force Cyberspace Command (Provisional) Commander Maj. Gen. William T. Lord and Air Force Research Laboratory Commander Maj. Gen. Curtis M. Bedke
Three panels covering operations, technology and the industry focus will add great complementary detail to the presentations, officials said. In addition, a huge exhibit area will feature dozens of displays that showcase the latest technological innovations in cyber defense.
"The buzz about cyber operations is clearly palpable right now, as everyone begins to grapple with growing threats and challenges," said Bruce Hevey, director of ESC's 653 Electronic Systems Wing and lead government symposium coordinator. "This event will allow us to harness all that energy and direct it in the way that best serves our war fighters and our national defense."
This is the second cooperative symposium to focus on the Air Force's efforts to develop offensive and defensive cyberspace capabilities. The first, hosted by the provisional Cyberspace Command, headquartered at Eighth Air Force, Barksdale Air Force Base, La., was held in November.
The first symposium featured high-level speakers and break-out sessions that helped lay out the goals and objectives for a mammoth effort: gaining and maintaining cyberspace dominance.
"Look at air dominance as we now think of it," said Col. Leslie Blackham, commander of ESC's 753rd Electronic Systems Group, who works closely with AFCYBER-P. "No American ground troop expects to be attacked from the air, and adversarial ground forces always expect to be attacked from the air. That's dominance, and that's where want to be in terms of cyber, too."
What if, the colonel asked, U.S. and coalition forces always could be assured of their data's integrity, and enemy forces always had to question the veracity of theirs?
"That kind of cyber advantage would be huge. It would allow us to control the cyber domain just as we currently control the air," she said.
Moving toward that sort of dominance is a primary goals of this year's gathering, she said.
To register for the symposium, visit the AFA chapter's Web site: www.paulrevereafa.org. Cost for the symposium is $330 for both government and industry. Booth space registration for the symposium's technology exposition is also available on-line at the chapter's Web site, as well as sponsorship opportunities.