Air Power 2017

THE PERSONNEL

124 AIR POWER 2017 21 ST CENTURY PARTNERSHIPS

AIR CADETS AND THE CYBER CHALLENGE

We do not expect every Air Cadet to join the RAF, but it is our hope that by exposing them

to our ethos and some of the challenges we face in the modern world that when they

eventually go out in to the workforce, wherever and with whomever that may be, they will

be a little bit wiser in what they do in cyberspace and the potential impacts of their actions

on National Security. We also hope that their experience with the Air Cadet Organisation

will have been positive and, as such, they will act as our ambassadors for the RAF within

their future industries. With the RAF priding itself in being a highly technological Service,

it is hoped that every Air Cadet will be inspired to pursue rigorous education, including

further education in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) subjects.

The youth generation has always pioneered the exploitation of new technologies

and demonstrating new ways of working. These young people can adapt to the

latest technologies in a heartbeat without needing extensive training. They learn

quickly how to exploit the best apps, and will become the demanding customer that

Defence must find ways of satisfying. Furthermore, they may force the generations

before them into thinking differently and, to some extent, may ‘shame’ us into doing

things in a more agile fashion. Good ideas are good ideas. It doesn’t matter where

they come from. That includes Air Cadets; what is important is that each and every

opportunity is seized so that we can gain maximum advantage in cyberspace.

Air Commodore John Wariner Air Officer Commanding A6 (Air Computers and Information Systems)

explains the importance of Air Cadets to the evolving cybersecurity landscape

RAF Air Cadets undergoing Cyber Training at

No.1 Radio School, RAF Cosford (PHOTO: © CROWN COPYRIGHT)

Measures are therefore taken to ensure RAF personnel

understand their vulnerabilities and are able to protect

themselves, their families and their work responsibilities.

Essentially, this means that the RAF has

mainstreamed cybersecurity into normal operations,

with everyone having a role to play. “The RAF takes

a comprehensive, coherent and focused approach,”

says Air Cdre Wariner. This is not something that has

evolved recently without thorough thought and

preparation. The RAF has always regarded information

security as a key component of air power and has

invested continuously in regular service signals/

cybersecurity specialists for more than 65 years. For

example, 591 Signals Unit, founded in 1952, is the oldest

continuously operational Signals Unit in the RAF.

Furthermore, when the Joint Cyber Unit was first

formed in its original guise as a Computer Emergency

Response Team in 1999, the RAF embedded its

specialists owing to the value they would give to wider

joint operations. The RAF has continued to evolve and

invest in this key capability area, resulting in a high-

calibre and coherent contribution to joint operations.

Warfare in the information age requires the

RAF to recruit and train people to operate in and

through contested cyberspace, regardless of

their primary role. This is not easy, but the RAF

has found that embracing the widest breadth of

diversity and inclusivity reaps real dividends in

cyber, according to Air Cdre Wariner. The mix of raw

talent and different life perspectives – beyond what

was traditionally an engineering discipline – into

computer science gives the RAF a huge advantage.

IDENTIFYING POTENTIAL

However, it is not just about the way the RAF recruits

people; it is also about how it employs them. On

the one hand, there are the millennials joining the

workforce with their always-connected, social media-

hungry approach to life, presenting both opportunities

to adjust ways of working for greater benefit and a

potential security liability. On the other hand, some of

the RAF’s more mature network specialists are more

cyber-savvy. Accordingly, defence is employing a cyber

aptitude test to help identify those with latent potential,

rather than solely relying upon those already qualified.

In Air Cdre Wariner’s own words, “The RAF truly

values a diverse and rich talent pool of personnel

across its regular, reserve and whole-force workforce

• not just in cyber, but right across the board.”

The RAF has mainstreamed

cybersecurity into normal

operations, with everyone

having a role to play