Air Force considers Barksdale's rivals for cyber command headquarters

The Air Force's delay in making major decisions concerning its new cyber command headquarters has given hope to bases competing with Barksdale Air Force Base to host the program.

The Air Force said that its plan to announce the site of cyber command headquarters before the new mission is inaugurated Oct. 1 has been pushed back to the end of the year.

"This is to give us additional time to carefully review all the locations under consideration," Maj. Gen. William Lord, provisional commander of the cyber mission, said in a statement. "We are currently reviewing how well the locations that have been identified to us match up to the needs of the Air Force."

The announcement prompted Sen. David Vitter, R-La., to phone Air Force Secretary Michael Wynne to ask how the delay would affect Barksdale's prospects.

"Following that conversation, I believe that Barksdale's current situation as the temporary base for the cyberspace command places it in a favorable position to serve as a permanent home for the command," even with the delay, Vitter said in a statement. The Air Force also has delayed a decision on selecting four finalists for the headquarters, originally scheduled to be announced in the next few weeks. It's been rescheduled for July.

Lord was unable to respond to questions regarding the delays. But he said through a spokesman, Capt. Robert Goza, that he would have more information after the Air Force holds a Feb. 25 meeting on the cyber command.

The new command would protect the nation's computer and communications systems from enemy attack, and could launch its own cyber attacks. It's estimated the command, with an annual budget of about $2 billion, would generate thousands of high-tech jobs.

Fifteen military communities are lobbying to host the headquarters. But Barksdale, home of the 8th Air Force, was considered to have the edge from the start. Barksdale's position as front-runner was strengthened last year when Wynne made the Louisiana base the provisional headquarters for cyber command.

But that did not deter other military towns from entering the competition. In fact, supporters of one of the late entries, Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss., made their pitch to Wynne just last week.

In addition, Air Force spokesman Ed Gulick said all Air Force bases are under consideration, and that may have slowed the process. The delays also may indicate the Air Force has not fully decided how the new command will work.

Initially, it was thought the headquarters would create thousands of new positions at one base and centralize the command's functions. But new descriptions of the headquarters have shrunk its size to about 500 to 550 positions.

A centralized command runs counter to the Air Force's policy of dividing a command among several bases.

Lt. Gen. Robert Elder, commander of the 8th Air Force, has said the aim of the headquarters is to consolidate the command, but without centralized operations.

That's given hope to Barksdale's competitors.

Yuba County, Calif., spokesman Russ Brown said local Beale Air Force Base boosters are still optimistic their base will be considered. "They say Barksdale has a lock on it, but we're not so sure," Brown said. "We think we have a good chance. We have a lot of universities and Silicon Valley is right at our doorstep."

To better their chances, business leaders are tapping defense contractors and universities to contribute to a Center for Innovation that would function much as the Cyber Innovation Center planned for Bossier City.

Brown also said decentralization of the command could result in Beale acquiring a significant portion of the command - such as the one in charge of technology development.

"You may not have the headquarters and still have a greater piece of the puzzle," he said.

Megan Lucas, president of the Bellevue (Neb.) Chamber of Commerce, has been working to lure the cyber headquarters to nearby Offutt Air Force Base.

"Were disappointed they're pushing decisions back," she said of Air Force officials. "But they've got to do it right."

Lucas said "politics are playing a significant role" in the decision, as Wynne and other Air Force brass are deluged with requests from congressmen and governors to consider the assets of a local base.

The intense politicking may have thrown the Air Force off schedule. But John Pike, director of GlobalSecurity.org, said the Air Force may be using the process to bolster congressional support for the mission. With 15 states in the mix, dozens of lawmakers support the cyber command.

The delay may be aimed at increasing that support.

"In the past, with other programs, we have seen the Air Force dangle sugarplums - saying this community is going to get this thing - to win support in Congress," Pike said.

A military analyst, Pike is also frustrated by the Air Force's lack of definition of the cyber mission. The struggle to define the mission may have also delayed key decisions, he said.

One problem, Pike said, is that the cyber command aims to protect civilian computer systems even though the military has no legal authority to do so.

"Presumably, over time, this will come into focus and the cyber command will make sense," Pike said.