Air Force Lt. Gen. William J. “Bill” Bender
Chief, Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer
Office of the Secretary of the Air Force

TITLE: Online at the Front Line: Air Force Cybersecurity and the Challenge of Winning Wars in the Digital Age

ABSTRACT: The U.S. Air Force was the world’s dominant air force in the industrial age – is it prepared to win in the digital era? Lt. Gen. Bill Bender, the Air Force’s Chief Information Officer and a veteran pilot of nearly a dozen military aircraft, is quick to note that there is no “divide” between the digital world and its tangible counterpart: every modern Air Force mission is conducted in, through and from the cyber realm. Every industry in the world faces similar challenges with digital technology, data and cybersecurity, but perhaps few with more at stake than our nation’s armed forces. Gen. Bender will discuss the challenges of management and innovation in a vast IT enterprise, efforts to improve how the Air Force acquires and develops technology and recruits digital experts, and the best way ahead to guarantee American cybersecurity in a rapidly-changing world.

BIO: Lt. Gen. William J. "Bill" Bender is the Chief, Information Dominance and Chief Information Officer, Office of the Secretary of the Air Force, the Pentagon, Washington, D.C. He supports 54,000 cyber operators and personnel worldwide with a combined portfolio of $17 billion, and is tasked with providing the foundations to launch the Air Force into the Digital Age. He shapes doctrine and strategy to promotes action across a diverse range of issues, including IT enterprise management, cybersecurity, innovation, cyberspace workforce development and force structure, and IT acquisitions. All efforts are designed to defend and protect our nation and achieve AF and Joint mission success in air, space, and cyberspace.

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