July- August 2016CIOAPPLICATIONS.COM 19Moving Toward an Information Age Air ForceInformation has played an essential part in military operations throughout the history of our Nation's defense. Initially, battlefield command and control was largely a logistics problem where messages were carried from the front lines to headquarters by runners or couriers on horseback. The Civil War marked a technological leap with the advent of the telegraph, as a sitting President could receive battlefield updates from distant Union Army commanders within hours instead of days. Radio communications enabled the dissemination of information that was not tethered to physical infrastructure, bringing about a focus on operational agility in warfighting campaigns. The more recent introduction of the Internet further emphasized the importance of data-rich environments as the superior means to synchronize global forces towards common, decentralized objectives. With recognition of how the use of information for warfighting has evolved, we must envision the next benchmark and set into motion the ways and means of realizing that future: warfighting in the Information Age.As the Air Force's Chief Information Officer, I'm responsible for leading what is nothing short of a transformation imperative. Partnership, collaboration, and teamwork on scales previously unrealized will be required. Technological and programmatic agility will be the keys to keeping the US Air Force the most lethal and effective fighting force in the Information Age. With agile cloud computing as our future trademark, the Department's approach to acquiring technologies must fundamentally change today to support the needs of tomorrow. With this in mind, allow me to share a perspective on how information will be critical in future wars and offer my thoughts on what the Air Force must do CIOINSIGHTSLt. Gen. Bill BenderLt. Gen. Bill Bender, CIO, United States Air Force
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