The U.S. Air Force plans to start its two-year migration to Windows 10 later this year as part of efforts to meet a Defense Department directive.
The service branch said Tuesday all Microsoft users in the Air Force Network will have Windows 10 as the standard operating system by Jan. 31, 2018 while users of non-Windows devices such as iPads will not be affected by the migration.
DoD Chief Information Officer Terry Halvorsen said April all military and DoD agencies agreed they could meet DoD Deputy Secretary Bob Work’s directive to migrate to Windows 10 within the next 12 months.
The Air Force added its users are authorized to transition existing devices or buy new tablets and laptops through the AFWay information technology purchasing platform.
The service branch expects to provide replacement mobile computers with pre-installed Windows 10 for most personnel while other users will be required to upgrade to the new operating system.
Current Windows 10 users will adopt the standard desktop configuration that features cybersecurity updates, the Air Force said.
The service branch noted Windows 10’s security features can accommodate software patches that will help the Air Force and DoD counter attackers that might access remote servers through a stored hash of a user’s password.
