by Charles Littell
88Air Base Wing Public Affairs

12/11/2009 - WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio -- Two newly-assigned Air Force Institute of Technology Senior NCOs are charting the path for a new cyber career field likely to impact enlisted members in a variety of career fields. Dr. Richard Raines, Director of the AFIT's Center for Cyberspace Research, said "Cyberspace is the newest theater of combat, and AFIT is dedicating itself to educate the 21st Century airman to operate successfully there." Both of the Senior NCOs are recent graduates of AFIT's Cyber Operations Masters program.

"They are assigned to assist in the development of the Cyber Professional Continuing Education curricula," Raines said, "and to accomplish this, they will serve as liaisons to cyberspace communities throughout the DoD and beyond. The new cyber career field is scheduled to stand up in 2010. These curricula will be essential to this career development opportunity for qualified candidates, especially those currently in the communications fields."

SMSgt Michael Woelfle is a 3D1X3 RF Transmissions Specialist with 23 years of communications experience. His career has included multiple overseas deployments to the active combat zones, as well as a variety of special operations support missions. His AFIT graduate program research explored classification and identification of Bluetooth communication devices using signal intelligence.

"AFIT and the CCR were designated as the Air Force's Cyberspace Technical Center of Excellence in 2008," Woelfle said, "and it is an honor to serve in such an internationally recognized program. My graduate work focused on 'fingerprinting' wireless communication devices, and that technology should eventually transition to the warfighter, to protect him from IED triggers. Moving to the CCR is a perfect fit for me, and I look forward to the challenge."

SMSgt (select) Michael G. Wabiszewski, Jr., is a 3D0X2 Cyber Systems Operator with 19 years of communications experience. He has extensive training and research experience, and is a Magna Cum Laude Computer Science graduate of Troy University. His graduate program research developed innovative applications of virtual machines for on-the-job software training.

"The new cyber career field will be a great opportunity for airmen to spread their wings," Wabiszewski said, "and at the same time, bring state-of-the-art tools to bear on cyber threats as they continue to develop. The training we create will be the foundation of this defense."

Dr. Raines noted "World events have shown us the importance of cyber security, and our dependence on cyber systems increases by the day. SMSgt Woelfle and SMSgt (select) Wabiszewski are advancing the Air Force mission, while they are crafting career opportunities for tomorrow's airmen."