By AIR FORCE STAFF SGT. JESSICA SWITZER

Every day, military computer systems and networks are attacked millions of times by hackers, malicious programs and other enemies. The son of a Edwardsburg woman is helping fend off those attacks with one of the Air Force’s newest units.

Air Force Tech. Sgt. Joseph M. Derrico, son of Charlene Firestone, of Elkhart Road, Edwardsburg, is a cyber systems operations technician with the 688th Information Operations Wing, a part of the 24th Air Force. The 24th Air Force opened its doors last August, making it the newest numbered Air Force and the first unit designated for the sole purpose of cyberspace operations.

“I manage a 16-person information technology client support team, responsible for 1,200 personnel and more than 3,000 computer systems and mobile communication devices,” said Derrico, a 1992 Edwardsburg High School graduate. “We ensure continuous operation of these systems on three separate classification domains in support of the Air Force’s cyberspace mission.”

Airmen assigned to the new organization are responsible for monitoring all of the threats the Air Force computer system faces every day. Derrico and his fellow airmen  protect those systems from attack by analyzing the threats, creating tools to counter them, and making sure all the network users get the tools and use them, preventing further infection.

“Senior leadership must be able to communicate at all levels to execute the mission,” said Derrico, who was recently named the 688th Information Operations Wing Noncommissioned Officer of the Year in 2009. “Cyber warriors must have reliable and available communication and computer systems in order to complete their missions as well, so what I’m doing is really important.”

Airmen work 24 hours a day to keep up with the ever-changing threats and keep the networks up and running, especially for the service members downrange who need those networks to communicate with each other. It’s all a part of making sure they maintain the information advantage needed to conduct military operations around the world.

“The best part of my job is seeing the people who work for me and who I work for succeed and knowing that I contributed to that success,” said Derrico, who has been in the Air Force for nearly 18 years and has been deployed once. He recently led a team to winning the 2009 General Rawlings Small Team Communications and Information Award.

“At a working level, I enjoy fast paced problem resolving and managing projects, and overcoming the obstacles that entails. I love that my challenges are ever changing and evolving.”