By Marina Malenic
The Pentagon has halted all manning and budget transfers for Air Force Cyberspace Command–a move that is expected to delay the command’s planned Oct. 1 unveiling and could even lead to its cancellation, according to an official with knowledge of the new organization.
Air Force officials circulated an internal service memo earlier this week, a copy of which was reviewed by Defense Daily. The document announces that the suspension of activity will delay the command’s previously announced Oct. 1 start indefinitely.
The Pentagon is expected to decide whether to continue with the effort later this month, according to a Defense Department official.
“There should be an announcement before the month is out as to what will happen with Cyberspace Command,” the official told Defense Daily yesterday.
The command, temporarily headquartered at Barksdale AFB, La., was conceived as a coordinator of computer network defense, as well as of offensive cyber attacks. The plan was announced under previous service Secretary Michael Wynne and Chief of Staff Gen. Michael Moseley. In January, the Air Force realigned some $500 million from other programs into developing technologies and capabilities for the new command.
The Air Force said in its official response that acting service Secretary Michael Donley and newly installed Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz “have considered delaying currently planned actions on Air Force Cyber Command to allow ample time for a comprehensive assessment of all AFCYBER requirements and to synchronize the AFCYBER mission with other key Air Force initiatives.” The statement says the delay is part of a “fresh assessment” of all Air Force efforts under its new leadership.
At a Pentagon press briefing earlier this week, Donley said the Air Force still plans to pursue the cyber defense mission.
“This is an important mission,” he said Aug. 12. “It’s going to go forward for the Air Force. The issue is in what context…and what form and in what national framework.”
“This is not just Air Force,” he added. “It has to fit with Strategic Command; has to fit with the broader national security community. And we’re going to look at making sure that all those pieces fit together as we proceed.”
The decision to halt and reassess the Cyber Command effort comes as Russia reportedly launched a cyber attack on neighboring Georgia in the run-up to hostilities there.
Joint Chiefs of Staff Vice Chairman Marine Gen. James Cartwright said yesterday that he has not concluded that attacks on Georgian web sites were part of the Russian military effort.
“At this stage of the game, it would be premature to try to go through the forensics that we have and make a determination, although we are looking at it,” Cartwright told reporters at a Pentagon press briefing yesterday. “Most of what we have seen and been able to monitor and verify is of a defacing of web sites, not really as robust as denial of service.”
Last spring, Estonia’s official web sites were attacked in a massive denial of service that was widely blamed on Moscow. That attack coincided with Estonia’s plans to relocate a Soviet-era war memorial.