Photo By Maj. Nadine Wiley De Moura | 688th Cyberspace Wingman pose for photo from left to right: Chief Master Sgt. Kyle ...... read more read more
Story by U.S. Air Force 1st Lt. Eric Yandura, 561st Network Operations Squadron
ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, Ga.---The 561st Network Operations Squadron, 690th Cyberspace Operations Group deployed a team to partner with the 51st Combat Communications Squadron, 5th Combat Communications Group in order to harden the security of networks used by Airmen and Guardians in forward deployed environments, Nov. 29, 2021 at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
The partnership facilitated the strengthening of the networks that the 51st CBCS will distribute in the deployed environment and filled training gaps in defending the Air Force’s most forward tactical networks.
Over a two-day period, the squadrons analyzed the strengths and weaknesses of their Assured Compliance Assessment Solution architecture, reviewed and improved the 51st CBCS Cyberspace Operations 1D7X1 training curriculum and provided on-site workshops to strengthen operator knowledge and proficiency.
“The Air Force and Space Force fight on the DODIN and it is our responsibility to make sure these forces have an information advantage against our nation’s enemies,” said Maj. Matthew Greenwood, 561st Network Operations Squadron director of operations.
“Working with the 5th Combat Communications Group is an important step to delivering on that responsibility.”
The effort hardened the systems operators use on a daily basis and provided operators the tools required to adapt to the ever-changing landscape of cyber security.
“It was extremely beneficial to get the 561st NOS team down and on our equipment,” said Senior Airman Raymond Sims, a network operations technician of the 51st Combat Communications Squadron.
“The knowledge they were able to pass on about targeting ACAS [Assured Compliance Assessment Solution] to our specific mission requirements was a complete step-change in how we have been operating.”
I hope we can bring them back down again to continue to improve our procedures and really help get after the 1D7 [cyber defense operations] mission set here at Robins Air Force Base, Sims added.
The 51st Combat Communications Squadron, 5th Combat Communications Group has a mission to ensure that communications are up and running, at home and abroad for the nation's expeditionary forces.
51st CBCS Airmen use a wide range of tools to provide critical communications assets such as radio, phone, internet and satellite services to warfighters on the front line.
The 561st Network Operations Squadron, 690th Cyberspace Operations Group mission is to strengthen networks from avenues of enemy attack. The Airmen of the 561st NOS are the Air Force’s premier unit for vulnerability management and use multiple patching and scanning tools, such as the Assured Compliance Assessment Solution, to harden over 700,000 network endpoints across the world.
This focus has resulted in the squadron becoming the Air Force’s subject matter expert on Assured Compliance Assessment Solution.
Both squadrons fall under groups within the 688th Cyberspace Wing, headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.
“When we send our instructors, we’re sending our very best to be exposed to the warfighting ethos, expeditionary leadership and ‘can-do’ approach of the 5th MOB ( 5th CCG),” said Greenwood.
“We’re really excited about furthering this partnership on both sides so we can be more prepared for strategic competition.”
Vulnerability management is not one of the core competencies of the 51st CBCS. The 561st NOS provided hands-on support in this niche field of the cyber community.
“Operating alongside the 561 NOS ACAS team has advanced our ACAS [Assured Compliance Assessment Solution] and Cyber-surety knowledge and processes exponentially,” said Squadron Leader Stephen Preston, network operations flight commander of the 51st Combat Communications Squadron.
“They were able to identify areas within our processes that will significantly improve the ACAS [Assured Compliance Assessment Solution] scores for all our FCP kits, but more importantly streamline our current man-power intensive procedures to a more automated, secure and efficient way of working.”
In recent years adversaries have increased their focus on the United States’ heavy reliance on the cyber domain in both the military and civilian sectors.
One of the major goals of building a partnership between the 51st CBCS and 561st NOS is to align with the Air Force’s focus on adversaries.
This change has aligned the USAF Cyber Expeditionary mission closer to that of the mission of the service’s conventional cyber units.
With these changes receiving increased attention in the Air Force Cyber’s strategic mission, partnerships between expeditionary and conventional operators will become increasingly important for the future security of our nation
"As the 51st transitions from a heavy focus on counter-terrorism operations to one of near-peer competition, our Airmen and Guardians require a laser-focused on all the tactical cyberspace activities that ensure the survivability of command and control within the joint fight,” said Lt. Col. Jason Brown, 51st Combat Communications Squadron commander.
“Our brothers and sisters within the 561st NOS have enabled our Airmen to make that transition as they are the Air Force's premier unit for vulnerability management.”
The 561st NOS plans to expand this partnership throughout the 5th Combat Communications Group and other tactical communications units with future hands-on support, training and exercises.
“Partnerships like this are examples of how being a squadron within America's First Cyberspace Wing, enables combat communications to quickly transition to emerging threats to our nation,” said Brown.
| Date Taken: | 12.09.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 12.09.2021 18:51 |
| Story ID: | 410851 |
| Location: | ROBINS AIR FORCE BASE, GA, US |
| Web Views: | 521 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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