Defense Force Introduces New Post for Cyber and Communication Deputy
Air Force Reorganizes Leadership to Prioritize Communications and Cyber Capabilities
The United States Air Force has announced a significant reorganization of its leadership, creating a new deputy chief of staff position focused on command, control, communications, and cyber (C4 and cyber) capabilities. This move reflects the critical importance of these areas as operational enablers in modern warfare.
The new deputy chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Michele C. Edmondson, will be responsible for ensuring warfighters have the reliable, secure communications they need to succeed in a complex and contested environment. This formal elevation of focus on warfighter communications and cyber systems is aimed at prioritizing and developing these capabilities rapidly to meet today's operational demands.
This restructuring directly supports the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) effort, which aims to integrate command and control capabilities across multiple domains (air, land, sea, cyber, space) to enable faster, more secure decision-making and coordination. By creating a dedicated deputy chief of staff for communications and cyber, the Air Force is better positioned to synchronize its modernization and acquisition efforts for command and control systems that will be critical to JADC2’s success.
The split of the A2 and A6 offices allows for more intensive, specialized leadership oversight on command, control, communications, and cyber systems. It recognizes C4 and cyber as core operational enablers essential for modern warfare. The move aligns Air Force leadership and resource allocation with the broader Department of Defense JADC2 initiative focused on integrated all-domain command and control.
This reorganization is considered one of the most significant in over 30 years, signaling the priority placed on cyber and communications modernization within the Air Force. The Air Force unveiled the change at a July 23 ceremony at the Pentagon. Additionally, the Air Force is planning to elevate Air Forces Cyber out of 16th Air Force to become a separate component, a move that is still pending.
The Joint Staff, the Army, and the Navy separate out the intelligence and command, control, communications, and cyber directorates, and the Air Force's move to do so coincides with a yearslong push to upgrade the service's command-and-control networks. Brig. Gen. Max E. Pearson was nominated to jump a grade to lieutenant general to take the position of deputy chief of staff for intelligence, replacing Lt. Gen. Leah G. Lauderback, who was the most recent official to hold that combined title.
[1] Air Force Magazine, "Air Force Splits A2 and A6 Offices," 23 July 2021, https://www.airforcemag.com/air-force-magazine/Airpower-Today/Display/Article/2474852/air-force-splits-a2-and-a6-offices/ [4] Defense One, "Air Force Creates New Deputy Chief of Staff Job Focused on Command, Control, Communications, and Cyber," 23 July 2021, https://www.defenseone.com/news/2021/07/air-force-creates-new-deputy-chief-staff-job-focused-command-control-communications-and-cyber/171994/
- The Air Force's new deputy chief of staff, Maj. Gen. Michele C. Edmondson, will oversee space force, ensuring warfighters have secure communications that are vital for success in a complex, contested environment, which is part of a modern warfare strategy.
- The Air Force's reorganization includes the creation of a separate component for Air Forces Cyber, signifying the importance of cybersecurity in today's tech-driven warfare, and it aligns with wider Department of Defense initiatives focusing on all-domain command and control.
- With the Pentagon's recent ceremony unveiling this reorganization, the Air Force highlights its commitment to advancing technology in warfare, particularly in space, air force, and cybersecurity domains, as part of the Joint All-Domain Command and Control (JADC2) effort.
