Former Andersen based 8th Air Force to become new cyber command

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  • By Staff Sgt. C. Todd Lopez
  • Air Force Print News
WASHINGTON (AFPN) --  During a media conference here Nov. 2, Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne said the 8th Air Force would become the new Air Force Cyberspace Command.

"I am announcing the steps the Air Force is taking toward establishing an Air Force Cyberspace Command," the secretary said. "The new Cyberspace Command is designated as the 8th Air Force ... under the leadership of (Lt. Gen. Robert J. "Bob" Elder Jr.). He will develop the force by reaching across all Air Force commands to draw appropriate leaders and appropriate personnel."

Secretary Wynne said the 67th Network Warfare Wing, now under 8th Air Force, and other elements already within the 8th, would provide "the center of mass" for the nascent Cyberspace Command.

The 8th Air Force also has some ties to Andersen.

The Strategic Air Command ran the Vietnam War-era B-52 bombing operations, called Arc Light, from 1965 to 1973. The 3rd Air Division at Andersen handled Arc Light locally until April 1, 1970, at which time the 8th Air Force arrived on the scene.

"Just as the 8th Air Force did so much to help win WWII in Europe, and is now going to take on the challenges of defending cyberspace, it was instrumental in defeating the communist North Vietnamese through the massive application of air power," said Dr. John Trieber, 36th Wing historian.

During its more than three and half years at Andersen, the 8th Air Force achieved the victory that had remained elusive for so long during the Vietnam conflict," the historian said. "That victory gave the South Vietnamese people much-needed breathing room and allowed for the Americans to finally withdraw from the region with some honor intact."

The most important 8th Air Force generated events occurred in 1972; namely, Operations Bullet Shot and Linebacker II," he said. "If those major operations had not taken place the subsequent peace negotiations that ended the conflict and permitted America's relatively smooth withdrawal from Vietnam in 1973 would also not have occurred."

The 8th Air Force, which departed Andersen on April 1, 1975, was headquartered in the same building now occupied by the 36th Wing, according to Dr. Trieber. From World War II and Vietnam, to the Middle East and Cyberspace, the 8th Air Force has somehow always been in the thick of things.

The secretary also said Air Combat Command, Air Force Space Command and Air Force Materiel Command are working to develop the new Cyberspace Command, while Air Force personnel specialists are working to develop educational plans and career paths for those Airmen that will work within the new command.

"The aim is to develop a major command that stands alongside Air Force Space Command and Air Combat Command as the provider of forces that the President, combatant commanders and the American people can rely on for preserving the freedom of access and commerce, in air, space and now cyberspace," Secretary Wynne said.

Air Force leaders will begin detailed planning for the new Cyberspace Command Nov. 16 at the Cyber Summit. During the summit, Air Force leaders will chart a way ahead for the Air Force's role in cyberspace, also called the cyber domain.