U.S. Rep. Lamborn seeks local support for Air Force cyber warfare unit - Colorado Space Coalition

Colorado Springs hasn't wrapped up the 24th Air Force yet, but local leaders met Tuesday to be ready if the city gets the nod for the 400-member cyber warfare unit.

A decision on where the Air Force will house the 24th Air Force is due in the next week, with Colorado Springs as a front-runner. U.S. Rep. Doug Lamborn hosted a meeting Tuesday to discuss the possibility of the new unit and how adding Internet warfare missions to Air Force Space Command will impact schools and businesses here.

"The need for Colorado to develop a support base is critical," said Lamborn, a Republican from Colorado Springs.

Business and education leaders are forming the Colorado Cyber Alliance to deal with Internet warfare issues, ensuring the area has the facilities and brainpower to help the Air Force with the new mission, Lamborn said.

Even if Colorado Springs doesn't get the new unit, it will house a large part of the Air Force's cyber-warfare effort because it will fall under Space Command at Peterson Air Force Base.

The city is one of six finalists, including Omaha, Neb., and San Antonio, for housing the 24th Air Force and its operations cell, a 400-airman unit that will defend military computer networks while planning how to attack enemy computers.

San Antonio may have an edge because it already has Air Force computer units, but Colorado Springs offers its own attractions, including the satellite units that oversee the backbone of the Air Force's computer networks.

The cyber warfare mission will pit the Air Force against enemies ranging from high-school hackers to unfriendly nations in defending military networks from attacks, said Brig. Gen. Robert Rego, who is overseeing the cyber mission planning for Space Command. The cyber mission will also involve American planning to disrupt enemy networks during a war, he said at Lamborn's meeting.

Rego said bringing cyber missions into Space Command is a radical shift for airmen there.

"We've got to think differently," Rego said.

Lamborn said rumors are still swirling about where the 400-airman cyber force will wind up.

"This is a military mission I would love to see and many people would love to see in the Pikes Peak region," Lamborn said.

Tom Roeder, The Gazette