US Air Force Launched First Cyberspace Weapons System

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The US Air Force Intranet Control (AFINC) Weapon System reached full operational capability this month. This is the first cyberspace weapons system to reach the status, according to service officials. Attaining full operational capability means the AFINC system “is fully capable to serve as the top-level defensive boundary and entry point for all network traffic into AFINC,” according to an Air Force statement.

Through a process of consolidation and replacement, more than 100 regionally managed network entry points were whittled down to only 16 gateway suites. This should make the network operate in a more efficient manner and make easier to manage. Additionally, there are 15 connection nodes to the Department of Defence’s classified SIPRNet network and more than 200 service delivery points. The whole operation is managed through two integrated management suites.

“As the first line of defense for our network, the 26th NOS team is responsible for more than one billion firewall, web, and email blocks per week from suspicious and adversarial sources,” 26th Cyberspace Operations Group commander Col Pamela Woolley said in the statement. “Our network is under constant attack and it is a testament to the dedication of our 26th NOS team that our network reliability and traffic flow remains consistently high.”

AFINC represents just one step in the Air Force’s emphasis to focus on cyber activity. The AFINC was designated as a weapons system back in March 2013 and reached initial operating capability a year later. Additionally, the Air Force internal Task Force Cyber Secure was launched in April 2015 as a service wide effort to consolidate and synchronise understanding, governance, and operations in the cyber domain.