Photo By Senior Airman Joseph Garcia | U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas Agriesti, 509th Communications Squadron cyber...... read more read more
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WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, Mo. -- Airmen from the 509th Bomb Wing are reinforcing the installation’s digital defenses through two cyber initiatives: the Security, Hardening, Lifecycle and Defense program and the annual Cyber Operational Readiness Assessment.
S.H.L.D. is a team of Airmen that focus on strengthening all networked devices across Whiteman, from laptops and desk phones to routers and switches. The program was created to harden end-user devices, ensure applications stay up to date and eliminate vulnerabilities across the network.
In addition to S.H.L.D., the 509th Communications Squadron prepares for CORA, a service wide inspection led by the U.S. Air Force. The inspection ensures that each installation’s cyber network is secure and that protocols comply with Department of Defense standards.
“CORA being implemented in the Comm Squadron is another way to push forward and show that we're doing our best, and will be the best,” said U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Nicholas Agriesti, 509th Communications Squadron cyber readiness technician. “It pushes us to be the gold standard and tackle things one day at a time.”
These efforts directly support the B-2 Spirit mission. With the stealth bomber as the centerpiece of the base’s operations, cyber security remains critical to the S.H.L.D. team.
“The B-2 is special for a reason,” said Staff Sgt. Timothy Muir, 509th CS noncommissioned officer in charge of cyber maintenance. “We don't want people to be able to take our information and use it to potentially harm the mission. S.H.L.D. is super important in making sure that adversaries don't get access to our information.”
The team relies on timely updates to maintain security and ensure defenses are implemented. While one section scans the network for vulnerabilities, the other performs manual reviews to validate system configurations.
“There's patches that come out every day for our applications and software, and as soon as they come down the chain, we push it to every device,” Agriesti said. “I don't think our adversaries can gain an edge and get past us because of how quickly we implement these policies.”
By integrating S.H.L.D. efforts with CORA readiness, the 509th CS continues to build a secure and resilient cyber environment in support of the B-2 mission.
| Date Taken: | 08.22.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.03.2025 10:18 |
| Story ID: | 546590 |
| Location: | WHITEMAN AIR FORCE BASE, MISSOURI, US |
| Web Views: | 13 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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