24TH AIR FORCE
The 24th Air Force is the operational warfighting organization that establishes, operates, maintains and defends Air Force networks to ensure warfighters can maintain the information advantage as US forces prosecute military operations around the world.
History
On October 6, 2008, following its annual Corona conference, the U.S. Air Force announced that a numbered air force, the 24th Air Force, would gain the cyber warfare mission as part of Air Force Space Command. The 24th Air Force was activated on August 18, 2009, achieved Initial Operating Capability in January, 2010, and Full Operational Capability on October 1, 2010. On December 7, 2010, HQ 24th Air Force was re-designated Air Forces Cyber (AFCYBER) to recognize its role as the service component to United States Cyber Command.
Mission
The mission of the 24th Air Force is to extend, operate and defend the Air Force portion of the Department of Defense network and provide full spectrum capabilities for the Joint warfighter in, through and from cyberspace.
People
More than 5,400 men and women conduct or support 24-hour operations involving cyberspace operations for 24th Air Force, including approximately 3,500 military, 800 civilian and 900 contractor personnel. Approximately 11,000 Air Reserve Component personnel came to AFSPC from existing Air Force Reserve and Air National Guard units associated with the combat communications mission of the 689th Combat Communications Wing and the Air Force Network Operations mission of the 67th Network Warfare Wing.
Organization
The 24th Air Force is comprised of an integrated operations center and three wings located at Lackland AFB, Texas, and at Robins Air Force Base, Ga.
The mission of the 624th Operations Center, located at Port San Antonio, Texas, is to establish, plan, direct, coordinate, assess, command and control full spectrum cyber operations and capabilities in support of Air Force and Joint requirements. The operations center is structured similar to an Air Operations Center, with a Strategy Division, Combat Plans Division, Combat Operations Division, and Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance Division. The unit consists of approximately 200 members.
The 67th Network Warfare Wing, headquartered at Lackland AFB, is charged as the Air Force execution element for Air Force Network Operations and providing network warfare capabilities to Air Force, Joint Task Force and combatant commanders that operate, manage and defend global Air Force networks. Additionally, the 67th NWW performs Defensive Cyber Analysis for the Air Force and Joint community. As the Air Force's only network warfare wing, it has people around the world conducting and supporting cyber operations. The unit consists of approximately 2,000 members.
The 688th Information Operations Wing, headquartered at Lackland AFB, is a redesignation of the Air Force Information Operations Center (AFIOC). The 688th IOW is comprised of 1,000 military and civilian personnel and is the Air Force's center of excellence for information operations. The wing is responsible for creating the information operations advantage for combatant forces through exploring, developing, applying and transitioning counter information technology, strategy, tactics and data to control the information battlespace and provide the world's best IO leaders.
The 689th Combat Communications Wing, headquartered at Robins Air Force Base, trains, deploys and delivers to the President, Secretary of Defense, the Combatant Commanders and the warfighter expeditionary communications, information systems, engineering and installation, air traffic control and weather services. The unit consists of 7,000 active duty, Air Force Reserve, and Air Force National Guard personnel as well as civilian and contractor support. All members maintain a unique tactical skill set that allows them to operate in austere, deployed and Joint/coalition environments.
(Current as of May 2012)
