Photo By Matthew McGovern | U.S. Air Force Col. Edward Rivera (second from left), 616th Operations Center,...... read more read more
The U.S. and the Philippines assembled to confront challenges in the cyber realm together May 2023, by signing new “bilateral defense guidelines,” focused on improving cyberspace threat defense to secure infrastructure.
These guidelines prompted six Philippine Army and civilian cyber-background members to visit 16th Air Force for a subject-matter-expert exchange July 18, in San Antonio, amid rising cyberattacks mutual to both the U.S. and the Philippines.
Philippine Army Col. Windell Rebong, Command and Control Communications and Cyber Systems, deputy assistant chief, and his five associates discussed cyber issues ranging from identity theft, hacking, cyber scams, and other internet fraud to future interoperability with 16th Air Force.
“When we have international cooperations we get to share what we see, which perhaps the other party will not see and so we have a more wholistic perspective of the situation around us,” said Rebong.
Future cooperation, converging capabilities and information warfare’s effect on adversary human and system behavior were communicated during the event.
During the exchange, the Philippine Army and 16th Air Force personnel discovered how their respective cyber policy operates and how they can best learn from one another.
Philippine Army Maj. Jonaire Benis, Command and Control Communications and Cyber Systems, stressed the importance of continuous future engagements with the U.S. and the “huge advantage face-to face visits have over virtual conversations as we are able to witness [16th Air Force] capabilities and interact and exchange knowledge effectively while getting to know the U.S. gestures and culture.”
Sixteenth Air Force International Affairs, in coordination with Pacific Air Forces, are currently exploring further engagement options to support more cyber synchronization with the Philippine military.
Philippine Army and 16th Air Force leadership closed the event with final remarks.
“The exchange was a warm, engaging and open discussion from both sides and included military, civilian, officer and enlisted of different ranks, all bringing forward their experiences in the form of vibrant discussions,” said Rebong. “It’s an honor and a privilege for a Philippine Army officer to visit a U.S. Air Force facility. [The 16th Air Force] has an expertise that all Philippine branches of service will benefit from.”
The Republic of the Philippines is the United States’ oldest treaty ally in the Indo-Pacific, and our close historical ties extend more than a century.
“Building a partnership is based on mutual trust, mutual understanding, familiarity and shared understanding of the threats in the environment,” said Col. Edward Rivera, 616 Operations Center, director of operations.
“It’s about how we can support each other to counter those threats, defend ourselves from those threats, and in a time of crisis understand, as partners, how we’re going to work together to mitigate those kinds of threats.”
The U.S. and Philippines commemorated 75 years of diplomatic relations in 2021 and recognized the 70th anniversary of the U.S.-Philippine Mutual Defense Treaty, signed in 1951.
Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, focuses on information warfare in the modern age. Information Warfare requires integrating: Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance; Cyber Warfare; Electromagnetic Warfare; Weather; Public Affairs; and Information Operations capabilities.
Sixteenth Air Force ensures that our Air Force and Nation are fast, resilient, and fully integrated in competition, crisis, and conflict by incorporating Information Warfare at operational and tactical levels, capitalizing on the value of information by leading the charge for uniquely-21st century challenges in the highly dynamic, seamless, and global information domain.
| Date Taken: | 07.18.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 10.15.2024 10:57 |
| Story ID: | 483004 |
| Location: | SAN ANTONIO , TEXAS, US |
| Hometown: | SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 5,943 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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