SECRECY NEWS
from the FAS Project on Government Secrecy
Volume 2015, Issue No. 36
May 20, 2015

Secrecy News Blog: http://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/

AIR FORCE: CYBER WARRIORS NEED PLENTY OF REST

New guidance from the U.S. Air Force on the use of cyberspace weapons directs Air Force personnel to get a good night's sleep prior to performing military cyberspace operations and to refrain from alcohol while on duty.

"Crew rest is compulsory for any crew member prior to performing any crew duty on any cyber weapon system," the May 5 guidance says. "Each crew member is individually responsible to ensure he or she obtains sufficient rest during crew rest periods."

Furthermore, "Crew members will not perform cyberspace mission duties within 12 hours of consuming alcohol or other intoxicating substances, or while impaired by its after effects," the new Air Force guidance stated.

"This instruction prescribes operations procedures for cyberspace weapons systems under most circumstances, but it is not a substitute for sound judgment or common sense," the Air Force said.

The document discusses the general conduct of Air Force cyber operations, including so-called "Real-Time Operations & Innovation" (RTOI) projects that enable the USAF "to generate tools and tactics in response to critical cyber needs at the fastest possible pace."

See Cyberspace Operations and Procedures, Air Force Instruction 10-1703, volume 3, 5 May 2015:

With the growing normalization of defensive and (especially) offensive military operations in cyberspace, more and more U.S. military doctrine governing such activity is gradually being published on an unclassified basis. Some of the principal components of this emerging open literature include the following:

Cyberspace Operations, Joint Publication 3-12, 5 February 2013:

Cyberspace Operations, Air Force Policy Directive 10-17, 31 July 2012:

Command and Control for Cyberspace Operations, Air Force Instruction 10-1701, 5 March 2014:

Legal Reviews of Weapons and Cyber Capabilities, Air Force Instruction 51-402, 27 July 2011:

Information Assurance (IA) and Support to Computer Network Defense (CND), Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Instruction 6510.01F, 9 February 2011:

Department of Defense Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace, July 2011:

AVERAGE U.S. TROOP COST NEARLY DOUBLED SINCE 1980

The average cost to the U.S. defense budget per individual troop member has increased sharply over the past few decades, a new analysis from the Congressional Research Service found, reflecting changes in the size and structure of the U.S. military.

"Since FY1980, the cost per troop--for all expenses ranging from pay to procurement--has almost doubled in real terms from $200,000 per troop in FY1980 to $390,000 per troop in [the] FY2016 request," the CRS report noted.

The rising average troop cost figures were presented as part of a larger CRS analysis of "Defense Spending and the Budget Control Act Limits," dated May 19, 2015:

Another new CRS report considers 16 alternate scenarios under which it might be possible for the U.S. to produce 80 plutonium "pits" for nuclear weapons each year by 2027, as mandated by Congress. See "Nuclear Weapon 'Pit' Production: Options to Help Meet a Congressional Requirement," May 14, 2015:

Yet another new CRS report discusses the history and status of U.S. relations with Pakistan, including key points of contention and cooperation. See "Pakistan-U.S. Relations: Issues for the 114th Congress," May 14, 2015:

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Secrecy News is written by Steven Aftergood and published by the Federation of American Scientists.

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