Lackland Meets Final Milestones: Environmental Impact Study 30-Day Comment Period
WASHINGTON DC With successful completion of the Environmental Impact Study and the end of the mandatory 30-day comment period Lackland Air Force Base is officially the headquarters for the new 24th Air Force the command responsible for cyber security.
Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) today applauded the Air Forces announcement that the final milestones had been met.
The men and women of Lackland Air Force Base along with the people of San Antonio have worked long and hard to demonstrate that Lackland is the very best choice for this critical cyber security mission. I congratulate Lackland and the city of San Antonio on this achievement and I will work with them and the Air Force to ensure a smooth and efficient transition process so we can stand up this command as quickly as possible" said Sen. Hutchison.
The Air Force announced its selection of Lackland in May but to finalize the designation Lackland had undergo a thorough evaluation process. This included an Environmental Impact Analysis required by the national Environmental Policy Act as well as a 30-day public comment period.
The 24th Air Force or the branchs cyber warfare organization will employ about 400 people including the commanders staff and an around-the-clock cyber operations center. Cyber operations will primarily focus on defending Air Force networks against attack and preventing network disruptions. It will also conduct some offensive operations to assess adversaries cyber capabilities.
Lackland Air Force Base edged out five other candidates including Barksdale Air Force Base Louisiana; Langley Air Force Base Virginia; Offutt Air Force Base Nebraska; Peterson Air Force Base Colorado; and Scott Air Force Base Illinois.
Lackland is in immediate proximity to several related cyber activities including NSAs Texas Cryptologic Center the Air Force Intelligence Surveillance and Reconnaissance Agency the 67th Network Warfare Wing the Air Force Information Operations Center the Joint Information Operations Warfare Command and the Air Force Cryptologic Support Group. Together these provide an excellent infrastructure support for Lackland as the Air Force stands up the Cyber Command.
