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AUSTIN, Texas - Cyber Shield, a two week event, brings together various states’ Army National Guards, Air National Guards, Army Reserve units and other state and federal agencies, alongside experts from industry partners and academia, to test technologies and tactics against a cyber attack, culminating in a large scale mock-attack scenario.
The exercise occupies 13 buildings and an estimated 58,080 feet of network cable and for the past several years, soldiers from the Texas National Guard’s 71st Theater Information Operations Group have played a vital role in the exercise.
“Soldiers got a better understanding in their roles in cyber operations,” Capt. Chester Harbert, Intelligence Officer and 2nd in command of the 71st TIOG of the Texas National Guard, said of the impact of the training for Soldiers, government entities and civilians. “Computer network operations is one of the pillars of information operations. As new technologies emerge, so do new threats to the U.S.’s mission in maintaining the security of cyber space.”
Cyber infrastructure is as vital as physical assets. National threats can range from lone “hacktivists” to organized countries interfering with American defense systems.
The National Guard is in a distinctive position: able to respond to threats, where federal authorities may not be appropriate, with great speed and expertise.
The exercise is designed to train Guardsmen to use the tools needed in case of attacks on local civilian entities.
Cyber Shield 2018 included a simulated attack on the transportation industry. In the scenario, the governor called upon the National Guard to stop the threat, minimize the damage and preserve the efficiency of the computer network.
The TIOG acted as the opposition force in the mock attacks.
“The second week could be compared to range time,” said Harbert, “exercises were set up like lanes that you may see at annual training.”
The event opened with a discussion between senior military leadership and policy makers to discuss the importance of consistent network security. The panel also discussed how to cultivate growth in the Guard’s capabilities of defending from emerging cyber threats.
The participants then learned about different threats and new actions to counter adversaries in a classroom setting. The first week was also spent building the cyber battlespace.
Developing an event this size and caliber took a tremendous amount of coordination between all parties involved.
“With regards to planning, I participated in three conferences over a nine month period,” Harbert said. “It was great to see the result of our planning. I think everyone from our unit improved and added to their skillset.”
The combination of experience and outside education also gives the citizen Soldier a unique skillset to help overcome adversaries. Harbert said quality events like Cyber Shield help the Texas National Guard maintain their dominance in the cyber realm.
"Bringing Soldiers with backgrounds in information technology and other fields gives our organization the advantage of having unique perspectives and problem solving," said Harbert. "Everyone was energized by the experience. All of my soldiers showed huge growth during Cyber Shield.”
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2018 |
| Date Posted: | 08.31.2018 12:11 |
| Story ID: | 291157 |
| Location: | AUSTIN, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 273 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Texas Guardsmen maintain dominance in the cyber realm, by SSG Jason Archer, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
