Cyber Survivability of Air Force Weapon Systems

TOPIC SPONSOR: 70 ISRW

The operational configuration of major weapon systems relies heavily on cyber capabilities which are subject to adversary manipulation and degradation in a combat environment. Requirements to mitigate these threats are mandated by Congress through the Joint Staff and executed by Program Management Offices. However, necessary tasking organizations and risk authorization processes are disjointed. This results in uncoordinated mission execution across the DAF and a lack of clear priorities for the weapon system owners ultimately manifesting as degraded combat survivability and risk to mission execution in a contested environment. How can we prioritize and streamline cyber survivability efforts for the Air Force and ultimately mitigate these threats as mandated by Congress through the Joint Staff and executed by Program Management Offices?