Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

Air Force To Re-Open Pursuit of Cyber Command

Posted by kdawson on from the taking-off-the-cyber-gloves dept.

GovTechGuy writes "Top Air Force leadership has decided to pursue forming a Cyber Command to defend Defense Department networks and to launch cyberattacks against foes, after putting the project on hold in August."

6 of 142 comments (clear)

  1. Where do I apply? by bhsx · · Score: 3, Insightful

    It's too bad these positions will, most definitely, be filled by military personnel. This would be a fun job to have for sure.
    It's also a shame that we wont be able to read about their missions. I would assume all of this work will be highly classified.

    --
    put the what in the where?
    1. Re:Where do I apply? by Pichu0102 · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Because we being indecisive really, really scares the hell out of our enemies.[/sarcasm]

      Which is scarier, a guy who is usually calm and can get serious when it means getting serious, or a guy who is permanently in a state of indecisiveness about if or if not to kill you every time he sees you?

    2. Re:Where do I apply? by cayenne8 · · Score: 5, Insightful
      "Knowing how computer-literate military personnel are, i'm pretty sure it wouldn't be that interesting"

      Don't worry...the majority of these spots will likely be contractors. The govt. and DoD are largely OUT of the development and coding business...have been for years.

      They don't build the systems...they just use them.

      --
      Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak.........
    3. Re:Where do I apply? by lysergic.acid · · Score: 3, Insightful

      isn't it funny that the cloak-and-dagger-types always think that they're saving the world, but all they're really doing is fighting the cloak-and-dagger-types from other countries (who also share the same messianic complex).

      the whole "we need to spy on other countries because they're spying on us" mentality is very similar to the saying, people who steal always assume that everyone else steals. in the end this attitude simply creates a more hostile world, damaging international relations.

      the constant arms escalation in the name of "national defense" hasn't made the world any safer. imagine how much we could have achieved if instead of participating in the global arms race, all the various nations had simply gotten together in the spirit of global cooperation to achieve some shared goal--like space exploration, medical research, etc. or even if we'd just spent those resources on things that would improve the quality of living of the average American.

  2. Re:Don't bother applying, you'll just load missile by lysergic.acid · · Score: 2, Insightful

    that seems to be the whole purpose of the chain of command. aside from eliminating personal accountability, it also suppresses original thought. this gives the officials up top absolute control over the military hierarchy. whatever they want done will be carried out unquestioningly and without hesitation. this sounds like a good idea at first, but it ignores the fact that this kind of blind obedience is, not only be dangerous, but also eliminates the benefits of having human beings in the military rather than simply robots/machines.

    this type of management style works fine if you're running certain organizations, such as fast food restaurants or factory assembly lines, but if more complex work is involved, such as software development or medical research, it really hampers the healthy operation of the business/organization.

    back in the days when wars were fought by having two opposing armies line up facing each other on the field, taking turns launching volleys of musket fire at one another, the chain of command works quite well--because soldiers were just pieces on a chess board for the commander to move around at will. but once guerrilla tactics were invented such top-down command structures were easily outmaneuvered by bottom-up or laterally organized guerrilla forces.

    having a bunch of interchangeable cogs in the military rather than individuals who can think for themselves and adapt to the situation is reflective of a rather outdated way of thinking.

  3. Re:let's just get this out of the way by grantek · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Well, what IS interesting, is that if the US defense force is using software as weapons, does that mean your constitutionally-explicit right to bear arms includes things like nmap and wireshark? Thus far, the "think of the children" crowd have been quick to label anyone "caught" with these "hacking tools" as evil terrorists, but in an age where a DOS attack on an infrastructure system could be a strategic prelude to sending in guys with guns (in an international war or a hypothetical civil conflict), I'd certainly see them as "arms".