Air Force Adviser Calls for Digital Forensics Investment
The principal cyber adviser for the Department of the Air Force urged greater investment in digital forensics during a Datadog Threat Response Forum speech.
Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Cybersecurity
The principal cyber adviser for the Department of the Air Force spoke Thursday at the Datadog Threat Response Forum, produced by FedScoop, calling for investment in digital forensics. Digital forensics investigates what happened weeks and months after an incident occurs.
Why it matters
Digital forensics is needed to detect and find where an incident started, making post-incident investigation a key element of national defense cyber capability. The push comes as federal agencies weigh how to structure cyber operations and security work.
The remarks were delivered at a single industry forum and cited no measured capability metrics or spending figures. The specific forensic tools, staffing levels, and budget amounts under discussion were not disclosed.
The players
Jeffrey Hunt
Jeffrey Hunt is the global operations branch chief for the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, which provides digital forensic investigations.
Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center
The Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center provides digital forensic investigations for the U.S. military.
The details
Jeffrey Hunt, global operations branch chief for the Department of Defense Cyber Crime Center, said the divide between operations and security on network threat visibility needs early attention and that combining those teams into one unit does not work. Hunt proposed embedding security staff in the planning team from the start of an operational plan under a liaison relationship, and using cyber exercises that let the cyber team engage on both offensive and defensive sides.
Timeline
Thursday: Principal cyber adviser for the Department of the Air Force spoke at the Datadog Threat Response Forum
The Tech Race
The push for digital forensics reflects a broader Pentagon effort to strengthen how it detects and traces intrusions across defense networks. It sits alongside ongoing debates over how military cyber units should divide offensive and defensive responsibilities.
For most readers, the practical effect is limited to how federal cyber teams respond to network intrusions over time. The remarks describe internal structuring choices rather than changes to services or tools the public uses directly.
The takeaway
Effective response to cyber incidents depends on investigating what happened after the fact, not just defending in real time. Coordinating security and operations early in planning can reduce gaps in threat visibility.
Further reading
Explore more on Cybersecurity to see how defense agencies approach digital forensics and threat response.
Source note: This article includes information reported by CyberScoop.
