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Show HILLTOP TIMES Hilltop TIMES October 9, 2014 7 Cyber: The new Red Flag battleground BY SENIOR AIRMAN JETTE CARR Air Force News Service N ELLIS Air Force Base, Nev. 4 The internet is a battleground, and information is the prize. News reports of a shopping retailer losing control of customers' digital data and an internet browser being compromised are some of the recent evidence of the constant cyber-threat present in the World Wide Web. The digital war over information is one Air Force No cyber specialists fight on a daily basis. To give these Airmen an upper-hand against their online adversaries, the 24th Air Force takes part in several training exercises, to include Red Flag. Red Flag is large scale combat training exercise held multiple times per year and hosted at Nellis Air Force Base, Nevada, that gives air, space and now cyberspace service members from the U.S. and allied nations the ability to come together to train as a team. Air, Space and Cyber domains are integrated between tactical and operational level participants during Red Flag at the Combined Air Operations Center - Nellis (CAOCN)/505th Test Squadron. Through the exercise, each organization learns to work together to form a stronger total force, while also being shown how their individual talents fit into the bigger picture. Cyber first played a part in the Red Flag exercise series in 2007, said Daryl Crissman, the 318th Cyber Operations Group, Detachment 2 chief of weapons and tactics. At first their initial involvement was limited and only made up a small portion of the simulated mission. Over the past two to three years, however, Cyber has made measurable gains in becoming a fully integrated component of the exercise. "Our mission is to train the next generation of cyber warriors and we look at what we call the full spectrum ... defensive and offensive See CYBER I Page 8 GREATER FRIEND:AF SERVICE DOGS SENIOR AIRMAN JETTE CARR/U.S. Air Force Moe, an Air Force service dog, watches retired Master Sgt. Kyle Burnett as she competes in the 2014 Warrior Games archery competition Oct. 1, at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Thirty-nine athletes contended in the recurve and compound bow categories, all aiming for a spot on the medals podium. BY STAFF SGT. TORRI INGALSBE Air Force Public Affairs Agency, Operating Location - P C operations," said Michael Homsy, the 24th Air Force exercise planner and cyber range coordinator. "We have several teams that are being developed ... teams that are designed to go after the adversary and their infrastructure and degrade their ability to launch their capabilities against us, as well as defend critical infrastructure as it pertains to our country." Though the 24th AF participates in other annual OLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. 4 "We give dogs time we can spare, space we can spare and love we can spare. And in return, dogs give us their all. It's the best deal man has ever made, " - M. Facklam. For centuries, dogs have not only been the constant companions of humans but they have been utilized in day-to-day activities to assist their owners with tasks at hand. Today, many dogs serve in a capacity to facilitate in the mobility of those with limiting physical factors. Service dogs can range from being a person's eyes, sensing a seizure or low blood sugar, to sniffing out impro- vised explosive devices on the battlefield. For some of the Air Force's wounded warrior athletes, service dogs provide so much more than just physical assistance. "Mentally I was in a place where I needed a companion," said Staff Sgt. August O'Neil about his service dog, Kai. "If I get really angry or very depressed, he senses it and he comes over and puts his head on my lap or my chest to change my mood, which is extremely helpful." O'Neil also uses Kai for balancing and to help provide a barrier if people are getting too close, or approaching too quickly. "He's a part of me just like my crutches are a part of me and, soon, just like my prosthetic will be a part of me," O'Neil said. "He'll pick up my phone, wallet, keys - even though he hates doing that because he's not a retriever - he'll look at me like, what... you can't pick that up yourself?" O'Neil attributes much of his successful healing to the bond he has with Kai. "He has definitely helped me have a positive outlook," he said. "At the beginning of this year, I was spinning down a lot, and he's pretty much been the sole reason that's kept me up." Retired Master Sgt. Kyle Burnett, who also trains service dogs, agrees that the bond between the dog and the owner is the most important part of the relationship. "The dog has to know you, and you have to have a bond," she said. "After See FRIEND I Page 8 'Groundhog Day' meets 'The Longest Day' in 'Edge of Tomorrow' BY STEVE SALLES Hilltop Times movie critic I f you've seen the trailer, you know this has a ring of "Groundhog Day" meets the World War II epic "The Longest Day," only this French shore invasion is aimed at turning the tide against space aliens on the verge of taking over the Earth. So it's kind of a big deal. Tom Cruise starts out as United States war correspondent Maj. William Cage, but is quickly demoted to private after attempting to blackmail a British general. Cage has no interest in embedding with the first invasion wave since he has no combat skills and no interest in death, but after his little stunt, he wakes up handcuffed on a pile of duffle bags on a military base, with sergeants yelling in his confused face. This won't be the last time we see him here, since this is the starting-off point of each repeating day, much like Bill Murray waking up each frozen morning to Sonny & Cher's "I Got You Babe." So just how does Cage end up in this bizarre time loop? On his first day, he is deployed with J Squad over a Donation Drive The Hill Movie Theatre will be doing a Donation Drive for Utah Foster Care on Oct. 10 at 7 p.m., during the showing of "Earth to Echo." Information about the Foster Care Program, as well as how people can get involved will be available. chaotic battlefield where the creature invaders, that look like hybrids of the angry spirits from "Ghost" and giant spear-tentacled sea urchins (very bad dudes), have the upper hand and are not in the least surprised by the secret human retaliation strike. Oops. Who tipped them off? How did they know we were corning? It seems the aliens have a way of restarting time if one of their "alphas" (large blue leader critters) gets taken out. Cage inadvertently kills one, gets some alpha blood on or in him (gross) in the process of his own death 4 and presto 4 rinse and repeat. So after a few of these Emily Blunt and Tom Cruise star in the film "Edge of Tomorrow," Cruise and Blunt are fantastic in this action-filled, sci-fi adventure, with equally notable turns by Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson. cycles, Cage is starting to catch on, but has no idea how to make the loop stop or prevent himself from being splattered all over the beach every single day, until he meets war hero Rita Vrataski (Emily Blunt), also known as the Angel of Verdun, who knows exactly what Cage is going through, because she's been there, done that, but can't do it anymore. Why? You'll see. Together they devise a plan to try and locate the central hive brain, known as the "Omega," and if they find it, destroy it. Simple enough, but now they have to find the darn thing and start over each time they get it wrong, and they will, many, many times. The key here is that if they don't succeed, Cage HAS to die at the end of each attempt in order for the recycling scenario to work. I know it doesn't sound funny, but Rita has to take out Cage on many occasions, just because of a misstep or a broken leg or whatever. It's the ultimate, darkly comedic do-over. But I will say this, you'd think the pete-and-repeat scenario would get tiresome, but the director cleverly catches us up in brief snippets, so we don't have to see the same thing over and over again, unless a new element is revealed for the characters. Cruise and Blunt are fantastic in this action-filled, sci-fi adventure, with equally notable turns by Bill Paxton and Brendan Gleeson. Cruise may still be in some moviegoers' doghouse, but you must admit, he is adept at picking interesting roles that are self-deprecating as he tries to win you back. This one just might do it. "Edge of Tomorrow" is both fun and exhilarating. |