New Training Class Prepares for Cyber Warfare

Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi is the new home for cyber warfare training for the United States Air Force. MPB’s Phoebe Judge reports on the importance and difficulty of working in this new cyber realm.

Keesler Air Force Base has long been known as one of the premier training institutes within the U.S. Air Force. Starting in June, the base will also become home to the first complete cyber warfare training course in the country. Captain Dave Trollman is one of the instructors designing the 23 week course. He says over the past few there was a realization that the military could not fight effectively without taking into consideration the threats posed by the cyber realm,

“The military cannot operate without some sort of cyber space dominance. If we don’t have cyberspace dominance in the next war we are fighting World War II versus an adversary that is fighting with modern technology.”

Lieutenant Colonel Scott Solomon, 333rd commander at Keesler, says in some situations a cyber attack can result in less collateral damage,

“So instead of dropping a bomb on a target, what if you do a cyber effect, where as you shut down their power plant or power grid at a time or place of your choosing. So now you are not taking out that power generation equipment for six months where it is affecting your civilian populous, but you are just taking it out when you need to take it out.”

Captain Trollman says it isn’t easy trying to train for the cyber realm but it is necessary,

“Cyberspace is a domain where our adversaries don’t have airplanes; they don’t have masses of troops. So being prepared and defending your network against an adversary that can appear at any moment is a very difficult task.”

600 cyber officers are expected to be trained each year through the new program. Captain Trollman says those officers will be considered the first round of pilots for cyberspace.