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Air Force Seeking Geeks For 'Cyber Command'
An anonymous reader writes "Wired reports that the two-star general in charge of the US Air Force's new Cyber Command is looking for hacker-types to beef up its cadre of cyber warriors — no heavy lifting required. 'We have to change the way we think about warriors of the future,' General William Lord says. 'So if they can't run three miles with a pack on their backs but they can shut down SCADA system, we need to have a culture where they fit in.' The Cyber Command is the Air Force's first new Major Command since the early 1990s. Its purpose is to be able to win an electronic war with China and other potential adversaries."
Sheesh, evil *and* a jerk. -- Jade
Just seeing that the name of this new command is the "cyber command" makes me want to run right out and hack a Gibson.
Man, the surf is ripped out on that information wave today. I mean gridlocked, on that information superhighway...?
HACK THE PLANET!
If they want us, they can bring us in as civilian contractors. Why would anyone want to take a low paying job they can't quit?
Commander: They did what?
Lieutenant: They fell down and started rolling around, keyboards in hand.
Commander: And this was suppose to say what exactly?
Lieutenant: They were gibbering something about he who lives by the keyboard dies by the keyboard. I think they thought it was funny or clever. You have no idea what the men have been dealing with. These geeks have no social skills whatsoever.
Commander: So I've heard....and they absolutely refused to perform that first strike.
Lieutenant: Yes, sir. But it gets worse. They started muttering some inane dialog and sniggering at each other. "Burn the building" and such. We thought they were making threats at first, but then one of them laughed at me for not watching some cult film they all worship. Office Farce or Office Day or something.
Commander: I told them this would never work. Damn geeks.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
...to win an electronic war with China... To win an electronic, heck any kind of war, all China has to do is to stop shipping electronic and any other goods to the US. After all, that is were all of the stuff comes from these days. Not to mention that most of the corporates have either sold or licensed almost all intellectual property to China in one form or another. Talk about giving a potential enemy all of the sticks they need to beat you over the head with.how would they control the inner geek urge to hack EVERYTHING?
commanding officer: "Dammit, someone emptied my bank account - AGAIN!"
second in command: "It's those cyber warfare officers, sir, they keep hacking anything connected to the network"
CO: "WELL COMMAND THEM TO STOP DOING IT!"
SCO: "I can't sir, the rerouted all communications through a local brothel..."
Seven Days with Ubuntu Unity
Your pointy-haired boss has a gun.
Great Intellect...
I take it you graduated from Berkeley. Our soldiers, not counting the rare psycho who slips in, do not target civilians. You must be thinking of Hamas and Al Quada who consider babies a perfectly legitimate target.
Every single soldier I know would be appalled at the very idea of attacking civilians. Every single one of them would refuse an order to do so.
-- Will program for bandwidth
China and other potential adversaries.
I can't be the only dude from the EU who has noticed a slow rise in anti-China stuff on slashdot?
Do other news sources in the US have this slant? Because looking at it from the outside, it's like the US^H^H^H^H Fox News is seeking a new bogeyman now the cold war is over. Unfortunately some of this is rubbing off on a more intellegent news source like
Anyone quoted by a reporter knows how little they understand
Don't believe what you read is the truth.
I'm not exactly sure if you're referring to just the current or recent wars of the US, or if you're talking about any war whatsoever...
But what utopia do you live in, may I ask? I'm sorry, but war is sometimes necessary. I'm not defending any particular war of any particular nation, but only saying that war is sometimes necessary. If someone is out to blow *your* country to bits, it doesn't do much good to talk to them or give them a philosophical (and well thought out, too) argument about why killing you would really just incite more killing, etc. There are even people that simply enjoy the carnage.
As long as life exists, there is going to be anger, hate, and malice; and as long as anger, hate, and malice exist, there's going to be bloodshed.
I'm all for peace and not war, but it is an unfortunate necessity at some points, in order to save life from those who WANT to destroy it for whatever reasons. It is from those "wanting to be guilty of murder and death" that more moral nations and armies are to protect the innocent.
"Woohoo! Where do I sign?"
"Great! Now pack your bags, you're going to Iraq"
"Butbutbut, that's not what I signed up for!"
"Too bad, we need people on the ground in Iraq NOW. That's where you're going."
Turning raw meat into the cyberwarriors of tomorrow -- the drill sergeant at Fort Ran:
ALL RIGHT YOU MAGGOTS LISTEN UP! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU IS A PERFECT SPECIMEN OF WELL-MUSCLED MANHOOD, BRIGHT-EYED,
NEATLY DRESSED, AND HIGHLY DISCIPLINED. WELL STARTING TODAY I AM GOING TO TURN YOU ALL INTO SLOVENLY, SARCASTIC,
ANTI-SOCIAL LOSERS! DO YOU HEAR ME SOLDIER??
Sir, Yes sir!
NEVER CALL ME SIR! YOU ARE TO SHOW NO RESPECT FOR AUTHORITY! DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME MAGGOT?!
Sure, whatever dude.
WHAT'S THAT AROUND YOUR NECK SOLDIER??
It's a tie s..., er dude
WELL TAKE IT OFF! YOU WILL WEAR T-SHIRTS AND LOOSE SHORTS AT ALL TIMES! IS THAT CLEAR?
I really don't like people shouting at me.
DAMN RIGHT YOU DON'T. AND WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN SOMEONE LIKE ME PISSES YOU OFF?
Uh, replace your desktop with a screenshot and then watch you trying to click on it while I snicker from my cubicle?
I THINK WE GOT A REAL GEEK HERE! IS THAT WHAT YOU ARE MAGGOT? A REAL GEEK???
I guess so.
OH YOU GUESS SO? WELL WHEN I'M DONE WITH YOU THERE WON'T BE ANY DOUBT! EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU WILL BE ABLE
TO LIVE FOR DAYS ON NOTHING BUT JOLT COLA AND DORITOS! YOU WILL LEARN TO LOVE THE WARM GLOW OF YOUR MONITOR
MORE THAN THE LIGHT OF THE SUN! YOU WILL BE ABLE TO WRITE NETWORK PENETRATION CODE IN THE DARK, IN MACHINE CODE,
USING A MAGNETIZED NEEDLE AND A STEADY HAND! YOU...WILL..BE...WARRIORS!! HOO! HOO! HOOOO!
Soylent Green is peoplicious!
Actually, they do. The military has no problem hiring the very best if they want to. Half the best physicists and electrical engineers I knew at MIT -- and the better half, typically -- went either directly into the military (via ROTC) or worked for defense contractors. Why not? It's where the really interesting physics and engineering was being done, the pay and benefits were great, and you weren't hassled by dumbass marketing suits wanting you to make your product cute or cheap.
The military wants their tech to work and be way cooler and better than anyone else's stuff, cost to them is no object, and they don't give a fuck what it looks like or whether it "appeals" to the critical 18-25 Facebook demographic. It's going to be painted olive drab anyway, and soldiers will be told to use it, not begged. Fairly ideal working conditions for a really smart technical person, I'd say. The only drawback is the various amounts of bureaucratic bullshit you have to cope with, which tops the level in a good private firm.
Anyway, I've never heard of a good technical job in the military or one of its prime contractors, or one of the defense-associated national labs, not drawing a huge raft of top-notch applicants. It's agencies like the EPA which pay terribly, have hideous civil-service and union rules weighing them down, and which, frankly, involve boring and outdated technology, which end up desperate to hire even third-rate people.
It is weapons training day at military camp. The instructor is running through some of the kit trainees will be using. "OK, moving on. The next weapon I am showing you here can be used to devastating effect --- in the correct hands and under the right circumstances. We call it vmsplice_to_user()..."
You've obviously never been in a maintenance shop before then. LAN parties were the norm most weekends back in the day. Now that almost everyone has broadband most everyone is playing WOW or other online game together. Whole sections go raiding and then talk about it the whole next day. It drives me nuts and cracks me up at the same time since these same guys pick on the "socially inept" for being nerds.
The level of geekdom varies, but the whole spectrum can be found, most are just gamers, many build their own computers, some are digital/3D artists, and a minority are your uber "look what hardware/software creation/hack I came up with this weekend" nerds.
I wouldn't buy the whole "they may not be able to run three miles and carry a pack" the Air Force is kicking people out left and right for being too fat and lazy. They like to call it "Fit to Fight", even though most of our jobs requirements are "Fit to Sit", they're just trying to cut down on the medical bills they have to pay.
I bet a lot of guys who are not anarchists would jump at the chance to work with NSA-style tech. Think about someone who's into cryptography and then think about what htey'd be doing for this group. I know the AF isn't the NSA, but plenty of my SINGINT buddies in the AF, Army, and Navy were tasked out to NSA. That's where all the cool intel happens.
I got stuck humping radios for a living.
Put identity in the browser.
Human society is based on violence. What you're suggesting is that we all just stop being human. Good luck with that.
How we know is more important than what we know.
I'm sure they'd listen to reason and realise what jolly bad chaps they are, if you presented your argument in the right way. It's not like they're barbarians or anything, their culture is just as valuable as yours and who are you to judge?
It's true I tell you, feller at work's next door neighbour read it in the paper.
The only answer is to stop the killing by all those involved using communication and other methods.
Like appeasement? Or bribery? Or lying to avoid conflict? Or global adoption of your philosophy? How do you plan on convincing people to not want "your stuff" or to not want you dead or worse? Are you going to inform them that it is hurtful?
I'll suggest that communication alone may never bring peace, because communication does not address disagreement at the philosophical level. It just defines the boundaries of the disagreement.
You really do eat the propaganda from the military don't you.
Way to communicate. I'm sure your patience, empathy and understanding will bring love and peace to /. in no time.
Oh wait, maybe I misinterpreted that statement as being condescending. Either way, maybe you should consider improving your communication with people you do not agree with.
God I love irony.
Hasn't the military been getting people to sign up by blatantly lying to them about what they'd wind up doing once they got in for...ever? Once they get you to sign on the dotted line, it doesn't matter if they told you that you WOULD be smoking pot and playing video games all day. They can put you wherever they need you once you sign. No complaints, no law suits, nothing. Door to door in Iraq or afghanistan. Who knows, you could wind up hacking all day.
But don't they realize that people smart enough to do their hacking are also smart enough to see through their sorry attempts to recruit them?
Count me in that group. Before you laugh, It wasn't the Air Force, but Navy. I went through the Advanced Electronics program. In six years, I got training (ISCET Certified) experiance, and no student loan. It gave me a head start in the recession in the 1980's when nobody was hired without experiance. I passed plenty of college grads into the field due to the education and experiance. I basicaly had a Geek job while in the service. I never carried a pack, seldom used dress blues, etc. Most times it was work attire and keep your haircut and shoes in shape. In the late 1970's I was working with a PDP11. Not too many schools in the 1970's had one you could learn. I qualified on a sidearm, but never was assigned one.
Don't knock geek training without a student loan.
The truth shall set you free!
He said "old-timers", not "petrified fossils".
My Keyboard (The Creed of a United States Cyber Command)
This is my keyboard.
There are many like it, but this one is MINE.
My keyboard is my best friend. It is my life.
I must master it as I must master my life.
My keyboard without me is useless. Without my keyboard, I am useless.
I must type my keyboard true.
I must type faster than my enemy who is trying to hack me.
I must hack him before he hacks me. I will...
My keyboard and myself know that what counts in war is not the keys we type,
the noise of our modems, nor the trojans we make.
We know it is the hacks that count. We will hack...
My keyboard is human, even as I, because it is my life.
Thus, I will learn it as a brother.
I will learn its weaknesses, its strengths, its parts, its accessories,
its sights, and its barrel.
I will ever guard it against the ravages of weather and damage.
I will keep my keyboard clean and ready, even as I am clean and ready.
We will become part of each other. We will...
Before God I swear this creed.
My keyboard and myself are the defenders of my country.
We are the masters of our enemy.
We are the saviors of my life.
So be it, until there is no enemy, but PEACE.
I still don't know how they are going to make this work. The military is very SOP (Standard Operating Procedure) driven. Can't imagine someone trying to hack by SOP, and if they deviate from the procedure, getting smacked down for it, even if the deviation from procedure is a better method.
Then the approvals, and officers sticking their 2 cents in every second.
Don't see it working well unless they truly allow for a different methodology in this "command"
I worked for a gentleman that was a Captain in the Navy. This guy was older than dirt, but surprised the hell out of me with how computer literate he was. He was fit, active, intelligent and an adept computer user. You might say so what, there are lots of older people who are in shape, intelligent and know their way around the keyboard.
He was 94 years old when he passed on and taught me plenty about computers. He was already 33 years old when ENIAC was unveiled. He was working until his last days because he enjoyed it so much. Perhaps the amusing part was at the funeral we had remind ourselves that we were shocked at his death at 94 due to his clear mind, and active lifestyle. If you met him, you wouldn't have thought he was a day older than 70. I'd say if someone is shocked at your passing at age 94, then you probably were doing it right.
Certainly a fossil, but far from petrified.
Out of modpoints but really liked a post? 1BDkF6TtmmeZ3yqXbz9yhdYVqRYnwFoXDj
All other things being equal, do you think a Bachelor's degree would be worth it when I already have military experience and a CCNA certification?
Many employers look at military as at least a Bachelor's degree and are able to start you at a late apprentice level. I went right to Journeyman when I got my ISCET Journeyman certification. Many places have HR departments that understand Military is compressed specialty training. This is valuable in the technical fields as you didn't spend half your time in liberal arts classes. I still have no college sheepskin, but I am working as an engineering technician in R&D. If I went for the sheepskin, I could easly gone on to a full engineer. So yes, depending on your goals, the degree is worth it. Challange as many classes as possible so you don't waste your time.
At the time I got out of the service, my goals were to be stable in unstable times. (1981) Engineers were often hired to fix a problem or complete a project and spent the rest of the time looking for work. (remember the 1980's where engineering degrees would get you a job flipping burgers? I never worked in fast food ever.) I liked the hands on tech stuff, so instead of persuing money, I picked a field where I could play and get paid for it. I never had the 9-5 blues. For steady work, I worked repair in high end audio/video. It was cutting edge, new and ever changing. Later I worked a contract to do 2 way Motorolla trunked system repair/programming and service. On the side we had a contract to keep a local radio station on-air. I got to fix the transmitter after it took a lighting hit. It was a little spooky working with the 5KV 10KW power supply. It was interesting and varied work for someone without a degree. There is a lot of work for someone with proper military training. Any extra certifications you get is a bonus. For me it is low voltage and broadcast. I finaly got an offer to move into R&D and I have been here since.
It always pays to keep on learning. You can easly pick up side stuff. I am building a home recording studio (On Linux). On another front, I'm using much of my tech training to move into theatratical lighting. I have a current project on the side designing the lighting system for a new church. I have convinced them to ditch the set of light switches by the door and go with a proper dimmer pack that talks both wall stations (so the janitor can come in any door and turn on the lights) and talk DMX-512 so the lighting director can run all the specialty luminares along with the house lights from the lighting desk/soundboard workstation. Part of the job it to establish the load requirements. The pastor had no idea why I wanted at least 2 20 amp circuits minimum to each truss. Part of the job is customer education. People skills are a must. Instead of $20 wall dimmers, the advantages of a $3,000 dimmer pack and $250 wall stations needs to be explained. It comes as a shock when they learn 2 20 circuits isn't going to run a dozen Par 64 fixtures and the 12 house light fixtures take 8 100 watt bulbs each. (500 to 1,000 watts each fixture) It's fun work. If you get the right training, you can get paid for playing, but you gotta have a skill someone will pay you for. The more you know, the more you are worth.
I can name 5 different 12 channel 2400 watt/channel wall mount dimmer packs by 5 manufactures that will do wall stations and mix with DMX-512 and the advantages of each and which need an option board to enable it at additional cost. I know on single phase power they require a 120 amp 240 volt circuit for each pack. Know your stuff and you will be valuable. Keep learning. DMX-512 didn't exist when I started. Now it is part of what I do.
The truth shall set you free!
I happen to know, because that was the only way I joined. Of course, you have to have the balls to say - "Fine, I quit!" if they don't keep their end of the bargain. But, they don't have a legal leg to stand on if it's in your contract.
So the moral of the story is: If they tell you you can smoke pot and play video games all day get it in writing as part of your contract. Because you will have recruiters tell people all kinds of things but only what's in writing sticks. Kind of like any other employment contract, no?