In the most startling act of generosity of the year, the Air Force plans to pony up $104 million for the new headquarters of the U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Md., in its fiscal 2011 budget.
That nugget of information is contained in the prepared budget testimony that Air Force Secretary Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz delivered to the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.
"In support of the national cyber effort, this budget request dedicates $104 million to support operations and leased space for headquarters staff at the sub-unified U.S. Cyber Command," the testimony noted.
I thought this was quite collegial of the Air Force because the service had spent a couple of years trying to own the cyber mission only to lose it to the U.S. Strategic Command, which will set up the command.
So I called the Air Force press desk in the Pentagon to check if the service had engaged in this act of fiscal largesse or if the $104 million line item was for Air Force cyber space at Fort Meade.
Capt. Joel Harper, an Air Force spokesman, ran my query past the green eye-shade folks, and he told me that, yes, the Air Force plans to fund the new Cyber HQ from its budget and that it was indeed a generous act.
In return, I think Cyber Command should allow widespread use of Air Force blue throughout its new building and invite the service's band to play "Into the Wild Blue Yonder" at the dedication ceremony.
COMMENTS
2/3rd of USSTRATCOM is AF personnel. The other 1/3 is USN. At least it was when I was assigned there ('92-'95). USSTRATCOM is a tenant on Offutt AFB. That may be where some of the funding may be justified.
Mike 03/04/10 05:31 pm ET
You might check to see if USAF is the Executive Agent, i.e., designated service to pony up dollars, etc., for USSTRATCOM and/or Cyber Command. If so, this is a "must fund" for USAF, not an act of largesse.
Gene 03/01/10 03:16 pm ET