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Connecting Cyberspace and Airspace
by U.S. Air Force Airman 1st Class Makensie Cooper
November 13,
2021
The 747th Cyberspace Squadron, the Air
Force’s first cyberspace squadron, is now performing operations with
the 535th Airlift Squadron with its Mission Defense Team aboard the
C-17 Globemaster III.
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Tech. Sgt. Carl Williams, 747th Cyberspace Squadron standards and evaluations craftsman, Senior Airman Allan Larson and Space Force Specialist 4 Nathan Hall, 747th CYS mission defense team operators, set up connections to a stand-alone hub activity reconnaissance kit in a C-17 Globemaster III at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, Nov. 3, 2021. The “SHARK” kit, was developed by members of the 747th CYS to monitor radio frequency abnormalities in-flight. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alan Ricker)
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The MDT is made up of a team of cyber and
communication professionals designated to defend a specific
aircraft, preventing adversaries from invading the airspace and
manipulating aircraft data.
“The MDT actually stood up in
2017, and has been designated as the lead MDT team for the C-17
platform for the entire Air Force,” said Master Sgt. Justin Young,
747th CYS cyber transport technician. “We have a crew of three and
we do mission planning and mission briefs, we sit crew for a set
number of hours, and then we do a debrief just like the pilots do.”
The MDT is constantly monitoring the airspace to defend critical
assets across the Air Force from adversary cyber attacks.
“There is absolutely a growing threat that adversaries can
manipulate data across any terrain to include airframes, so our job
is to defend cyberspace and prevent that from happening,” said
Young.
Cyberspace Airmen monitor cyberspace for
abnormalities such as data manipulation, false information readings
to prevent interference and jamming.
“Abnormalities are
important to monitor because we need to understand everything that
happens in the cyber domain if we are going to defend it,” said
Senior Airman Allan Larson, 747th CYS mission defense operator. “If
we do not understand it then we don't know if it is a threat or
not.”
The 747th CYS is building up its mission set around
JBPHH by partnering with the 19th Fighter Squadron and Navy
Facilities to protect the industrial control systems, paving a way
for the rest of the Air Force to follow suit.
“It is pretty
amazing to see the capabilities that we are able to do, and how fast
our Airmen have been able to completely change their mindset on how
they approach comm and cyber, '' said Young. “It is pretty mind
blowing that we can do this, and that we did it so quickly.”
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