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Cyber Gladiators welcome new commander

  • Published
  • By Maj. Alysia R. Harvey
  • 960th Cyberspace Operations Group Public Affairs

Cyber Gladiators of the 960th Cyberspace Operations Group gathered together for a change of command ceremony Aug. 27 at the Inter-American Air Forces Academy at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland, Texas.

Maj. Gen. Richard Scobee, 10th Air Force commander, presided over the ceremony, in which Col. Lloyd I. Terry, Jr. relinquished command to Col. Anthony M. Perkins, having served more than three years at the helm.

“I spent some time writing a speech, but I have decided to put it aside and simply speak from the heart,” Terry said. “What began as an idea at the [Air Force Reserve Command] Headquarters and started with only three people has blossomed into what you see today – a group with 12 units and 1,200 authorizations.  I could not be more proud of what we have done so far, and I’m confident that Col. Perkins will take the Group to the next level as he takes command today.”

Scobee and Terry’s remarks were in sync, as he expressed expectations of continued momentum for the Group and likened the efforts of these two commanders to the work of early aviators who paved the way for today’s air superiority.

After passing the flag, Perkins addressed the crowd, framing his words around a quote by British Prime Minister Winston Churchill: “Never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few.  This war is only a continuation of the last, but very great differences in its character.”

Perkins said that although that quote was directly referring to the sacrifices and feats of bravery by the Royal Air Force during World War II, the sentiments are pertinent today, where policy and procedure regarding the cyber domain are being written and under constant review.

“In no other domain, could the technology change between unit drills nor are the battle lines barely drawn,” Perkins said.  “As cyber warriors, we are technically training, learning diverse mission sets to secure and defend not only our cyber domain, but to ensure freedom of movement and data integrity for all traversing air, land, sea and space domains.”

He then went on to address the “few” of Churchill’s speech, citing a 2013 opinion editorial and highlighting the fact that for nearly two generations, no American has been obligated to join the military, and few do. He said, in fact, that less than one-half of one percent of the population serves in the Armed Forces today, compared with more than 12 percent during World War II.     

“Therefore the ‘few’ of Churchill's speech could be seen as much greater than the ‘few’ of today,” Perkins said.  “So, we stand together defending the cyber domain – arguably, the most, highly contested of the five domains daily.”

Despite this assertion, Perkins said supported mission partners will generally not detail cyber key terrain as a domain controller, router or software application, but will express needs in terms of concepts of operations – what they must do to rule their specific domain to ensure national and coalition objectives at home and abroad are achieved.

“However, as Citizen Airmen, we have a unique position – sought-after skills in the profession of arms and experience in the commercial sector,” Perkins said.  “By dealing with challenges in both arenas, we bring ideal synergies to solve military challenges with possible commercial and civilian solutions.” 

He encouraged the Group to keep bringing their ideas and experiences to each and every duty day they serve, and said he looked forward to earning their trust and confidence in the days ahead.

Perkins concluded his remarks saying, “My plan is to listen, learn, and lead.”