Cyber Badge

Wannabe Air Force pilots covet a "wings" badge. Now, Air Force hackers have their own badge to proudly sport on their uniforms.

Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. Norton Schwartz has approved a new badge that officers working in the cyberspace domain can wear, according to the service. In an April 21 memorandum, Schwartz "set forth guidelines and addressed standard eligibility requirements for officers working in the cyberspace domain," the statement reads. "Eligibility criteria for enlisted personnel are slated for release in a future message." Further:

Maj. Gen. Michael Basla, Air Force Space Command vice commander, who will wear the new badge, highlighted its significance. “The Air Force mission -- to fly, fight and win/ /in air, space and cyberspace -- acknowledges the significance and interrelationship of our three operational domains in effective warfighting. The establishment of the Air Force Cyberspace Badge underscores the crucial operational nature of the cyberspace mission,” said General Basla.

The Air Force’s Chief of Warfighting Integration and Chief Information Officer said the new badge reflects the importance of cyber operations. "The Air Force's cyberspace operators must focus on operational rigor and mission assurance in order to effectively establish, control, and leverage cyberspace capabilities. The new cyberspace operator badge identifies our cyberspace professionals with the requisite education, training, and experience to operate in this new critical domain. The badge symbolizes this new operational mindset and the Air Force's commitment to operationalize the cyberspace domain," said Lt Gen William T. Lord.

The new badge is authorized in three levels: basic, senior and master. Badge level eligibility criteria are consistent with those listed in Air Force Instruction 36-2903. The guidance for the Cyberspace Badge will be included in the next revision of the AFI. Certain officers are “grandfathered” and eligible to wear the new badge. Officers converting from the 33S to the 17D Air Force Specialty Code on April 30 are authorized the basic Cyberspace Badge. Officers may continue to wear the Communications and Information Badge at the authorized level until Oct. 1, 2011. Upon completing the Distance Learning Cyberspace Operations Transition Course (the “X- course”), Undergraduate Network Warfare Training, or meeting criteria for upgrade, officers who earned the senior or master level Communications and Information Badge are authorized to wear that same level of the Cyberspace Badge.

. . . The design element of the badge holds significant meaning. The lightning bolt wings signify the cyberspace domain while the globe signifies the projection of cyber power world-wide. The globe, combined with lightning bolt wings, signifies the Air Force’s common communications heritage. The bolted wings, centered on the globe, are a design element from the Air Force Seal signifying the striking power through air, space and cyberspace. The orbits signify the space dimension of the cyberspace domain.

The new badge is equal in precedence to the Aeronautical and Space Badges. Those awarded multiples of the Cyberspace, Aeronautical and Space Badges must wear the Cyberspace Badge above the others while serving in a cyberspace billet.