POZNAN, Poland — As cyber warfare increasingly shapes the 21st-century battlefield, 16th Air Force reaffirmed its commitment to allied security and proactive defense during the Impact’26 strategic forum and subsequent bilateral engagements, May 13-14.
U.S. Air Force Brig. Gen. Jason Christman, Air National Guard assistant to the commander, 16th Air Force and Polish Maj. Gen. Karol Molenda, commander of Poland's Cyber Command, held a Key Leader Engagement in Poznan, May 14. Both leaders emphasized that the extensive network of allies and partners across the Euro-Atlantic and the Indo-Pacific serves as an asymmetric advantage, a strategic force multiplier in the cyber domain, that our adversaries cannot match.
The KLE followed Christman's participation in the Impact’26 forum, following an invitation from Maj. Gen. Molenda. Christman joined senior cyber leaders from Switzerland, Romania, Singapore, and the Czech Republic for a featured panel discussion titled, “Digital Immune System.” The panel focused on coalition resilience, information sharing, and cyber partnership between government and commercial critical infrastructure that underpins national defense and mission assurance.
“Digital defense is absolutely essential to multi-domain operations because everything is data centric, speed of data, accuracy of data, and precision when it gets down to kinetic activities,” Christman said. “You have to accelerate your cyber defense… we’re not talking months or years. We’re talking hours and days.” To counter these rapidly evolving threats, panel members agreed that achieving a digital immune system requires constant vigilance and continuous international collaboration in sharing learned adversarial tactics, techniques, and procedures. The integration of zero-trust architectures and hunt forward operations with allied partners are critical components to surviving on the modern battlefield stressed Christman.
Recognizing that modern conflict transcends traditional boundaries, Christman emphasized the urgent requirement to forge resilient linkages with critical infrastructure providers.
As malicious cyber actors increasingly target both military and commercial systems to slow mobilization and disrupt the Department of War’s kill chain, 16th Air Force is heavily focusing on integrated defense with the private sector.
Christman warned that because commercial networks provide critical infrastructure for military power, they are a target in the cyber battlespace. “It's not just the military that's going to be targeted," Christman stated. "Civil authorities, the private sector are also going to be targeted. Why? Because you help support all the logistics, all the munitions, the systems, the technology, the telecom, the critical infrastructure that underpins our ability to mobilize and generate warfighting power. So, you're a valid target in the eyes of the enemy.”
Maj. Gen. Simon Müller, chief of the Swiss Cyber Command, highlighted the importance of partner exchange and training as decisive advantages against fast-moving threats. “The exchange with strong partners is really important… cyber threat intelligence wise and as well about concepts and instruments that strengthen cyber security,” Müller said.
Singapore’s cyber commander, Col. Clarence Cai, underscored that enduring cyber resilience is not a one-time achievement but a sustained national effort. “In the digital domain, such an immunity is not granted easily. It is the outcome of a constant effort, because what we face… is a lot more like an interaction with an intelligent, persistent adversary,” Cai said, calling for what he described as an “advanced persistent defense” mindset to match the persistence of nation-state cyber campaigns.
Owning the cyber battlespace remains a primary mission priority for 16th Air Force. Department of War systems, weapons platforms, and critical infrastructure encounter daily threats from malicious state and non-state cyber actors seeking to hold economic and national institutions at risk. In this persistent threat environment, collective cyber defense is essential for the defense of the homeland, our allies, and partners.
Headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas, 16th Air Force is responsible for the Air Force’s intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission and capabilities; operationalizing weather forecasting for the joint force; leading the cryptologic activities of the Department; operating and defending the Department’s information network; and commanding and controlling the joint forces assigned by U.S. Cyber Command to execute offensive and defensive cyberspace operations that protect national interests and project combat power. Additionally, 16th Air Force provides critical warfighting expertise and organizational combat support to the execution of the Department’s kill chains, and the disruption of our adversaries’ attempt to do the same.
Operationally, 16th Air Force creates decisive advantages for the joint warfighter while simultaneously defending U.S. forces’ command and control (C2) capabilities from adversary disruption. 16th Air Force’s operational footprint includes approximately 45,000 Total Force Airmen spanning 123 locations globally with missions that support all 11 combatant commands.
| Date Taken: | 05.12.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 05.15.2026 14:54 |
| Story ID: | 565393 |
| Location: | POZNAN, PL |
| Web Views: | 42 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Owning the Cyber Battlespace: 16th Air Force Bolsters Allied Cyber Defense in Poland, by Rabia Coombs, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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