[SatNews] Gen. C. Robert Kehler, commander of Air Force Space Command, declared Full Operational Capability (FOC) for 24th Air Force, headquartered at Lackland Air Force Base, Texas.

The criteria to reach FOC, established in Air Force Program Action Directive PAD 07-08, required 24th Air Force to be able to perform all Component Numbered Air Force responsibilities in support of combatant commanders for the Air Force’s cyberspace mission. It also required the organization be able to execute full organizational structure (24th Air Force with three Wings) of assigned forces. The final criterion was to satisfy a MAJCOM commander-directed readiness assessment, which was successfully completed Sept. 11, 2010.

"Declaration of FOC means 24th Air Force is now a full operational partner on the joint cyber team," said Gen. Kehler. "Cyberspace is critical to today's joint military operations and 24th Air Force is proud to be the Air Force's component to US Cyber Command." Twenty-fourth Air Force accomplished several major milestones prior to being declared FOC, including:

• Re-designation of the Air Force Information Operations Center as the 688th Information Operations Wing and the realignment of both it and the 67th Network Warfare Wing under the 24th Air Force on Aug. 18, 2009.
• Activation of the 689th Combat Communications Wing at Robins AFB, Ga., on Oct. 5, 2009.
• Relocation of the 624th Operations Center, formerly known as 608th Air Force Network Operations Center, from Barksdale AFB, La., to Lackland AFB.
• A four-day operational assessment Sept. 8-11, which concluded with a briefing to the 24th Air Force commander, Maj. Gen. Richard Webber, declaring the Numbered Air Force was “ready” to be certified FOC.

“Gen. Kehler has declared us FOC, a great achievement with less than 14 months of existence in a new warfighting domain,” said General Webber. “We’re proud of this significant milestone and will continue to provide cyberspace capabilities to defend the Air Force portion of the network, meet U.S. Strategic Command requirements when tasked, and supply cyber-trained forces to combatant commanders to enable joint operations.”