Forces: Ghosts Come To Life

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April 29,2008: The American military has been bringing back old organizations for new conflicts. The U.S. Navy is reviving the 4th Fleet, in order to control navy ships and aircraft operating in the Caribbean. This is apparently for the benefit of Hugo Chavez, the Castro Brothers and several large cocaine producing organizations. The original 4th Fleet was established in 1943, to control U.S. Navy ships and aircraft in the South Atlantic and Caribbean. That 4th Fleet was deactivated in 1950, and its activities taken over by the 2nd Fleet.

Last year, the U.S. Air Force designated the 8th Air Force as the home of the new Cyber Command (for Internet based warfare). Unlike the 4th Fleet, the 8th Air Force, which was created in 1942, never went out of business. For its first three years, it played a major role in bombing Germany and German occupied Europe. After Germany surrendered, the "Mighty 8th" moved to the Pacific, but the Japanese surrendered just as the 8th was ready to start operating. The 8th Air Force was moved back to the United States, where it was involved with strategic bombing until 2000, when it was assigned to deal with Information War operations as well. Then in 2007, it, in effect, became the Cyber War Command (officially, it is called the Air Force Cyberspace Command, or (AFCYBER).

Assigning the 8th Air Force for this task has tremendous historical meaning. During World War II, the 8th Air Force was responsible for the bombing operations that included the first Cyber War. Allied and German electronic weapons, and countermeasures, showed up in combat at dizzying speed. Just about every type of electronic warfare weapon in use today, first showed up over the skies of Europe during World War II. In a way, the 8th Air Force is back in the same business it started out in.

 

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