Citizen Cyber: Air Guard Built for Rapid Change of Digital Battlespace

By J.M. Eddins Jr.,Airman Magazine

Embracing rapid continuous change in the cyber environment and having the willingness to consider new ideas in organization, procurement and operations, regardless how “out of the box,” are key to the Air Force’s advancement in the cyber realm, according to Adm. Michael Rogers, U.S. Cyber Command commander, National Security Agency director and Central Security Service chief.

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While the Air Force has begun cross-training active-duty cyber defense specialists in offensive cyber tactics, and vice-versa, to create a force with greater overall insight into the cyber battlespace, the inherent structure, composition and operational flexibility of ANG cyber units may hold ideas for the evolution of all cyber forces, according to Tech. Sgt. Kyle Hanslovan, a cyber operator with the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group of the Maryland Air National Guard and the CEO of his own cyber security company. Video // Andrew Arthur Breese

“It is great to see the internal dialogue and the ongoing evolution of cyber within the Air Force,” said Rogers during an Air Force Association cyber security panel discussion in 2017. “The idea that we are going to stick to a specific construct, a specific set of operational practices or a specific set of skill sets over time, I think, is very flawed. We have got to get used to the idea of change as a normal component of this mission set. What are the implications of that change, from how you build with your human capital to how you build a mission team? What are the capabilities you need? How do you organize, whether that be formally from a command and control perspective, or all the way down to the tactical seam? How do you organize to execute the mission? It’s about the ability to bring together multiple perspectives and multiple organizations to achieve the desired outcome.”

While the Air Force has begun cross-training active-duty cyber defense specialists in offensive cyber tactics, and vice-versa, to create a force with greater overall insight into the cyber battlespace, the inherent structure, composition and operational flexibility of ANG cyber units may hold ideas for the evolution of all cyber forces, according to Tech. Sgt. Kyle Hanslovan, a cyber operator with the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group of the Maryland Air National Guard and the CEO of his own cyber security company.

ENLARGE
Tech. Sgt. Kyle Hanslovan is a cyber-warfare specialist serving with the 175th Cyberspace Operations Group of the Maryland Air National Guard at Warfield Air National Guard Base, Middle River, Md. Hanslovan served on active duty with the Air Force for six years and then worked, in civilian life, as a cyber security contractor for the Department of Defense and now as the CEO of a cyber security start up firm. His continuing desire to serve his country led him to the Air National Guard, where he believes his civilian experience in defensive cyber-security greatly benefits his mission readiness for offensive cyber operations with the U.S. Air Force.PHOTO // J.M. EDDINS JR.

“Guardsmen coming from very diverse backgrounds in the civilian world benefits the 175th COG’s flexibility in response and a culture of diverse professional perspectives on cyber problem solving,” said Hanslovan. “Some of my co-workers in the Guard come from crazy things, like molecular biology, where their perspective and abilities to solve problems is from a perspective that I would never consider. It makes us a very lethal force.”