Courtesy Photo | Maj. Christine Pierce, far left, Pennsylvania Army National Guard cyber defense branch...... read more read more
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FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, Pa. – Five Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers recently participated in Cyber Shield, the nation’s premiere unclassified cyber training exercise.
The exercise, which ran from June 2 to 16, involved about 800 participants, including National Guard Soldiers and Airmen, service members from other branches, interagency partners from all levels of government and cyber leaders ranging from high-tech corporations to local utilities.
It was held at the Army National Guard Professional Education Center on Camp Joseph T. Robinson Maneuver Training Center in Arkansas.
The focus of this year’s exercise was on the National Guard’s role in responding to an attack on U.S. transportation systems sector critical infrastructure.
The five Pennsylvania National Guard Soldiers are from the Joint Force Headquarters Defensive Cyber Operations Element. Three of them were on site in Arkansas, and two Soldiers participated remotely from Fort Indiantown Gap.
“The realistic training environment and real-world cyber scenarios that Cyber Shield provides has been a crucial benefit to the DCOE’s professional maturity as a domestic cyber operations team and for its individual and collective training as well as gaining the experience of cyber incident response,” said Maj. Christine Pierce, Pennsylvania Army National Guard cyber defense branch chief. “There is no other exercise or training environment that can provide the DCOE with what it needs to remain proficient in its cybersecurity skills and training.”
The Pennsylvania National Guard members held several key positions for the exercise, said Pierce, who acted as the Cyber Shield exercise assessments lead.
“This year, members of the DCOE were an integral part of the key exercise staff and were responsible for the overall range development for the exercise as well as running the assessments team, ensuring that all 28 participating blue teams left the exercise with a very comprehensive team assessment upon which they can take back to their respective states to use to identify training gaps,” Pierce said.
Capt. Sean Smith, deputy cyber team chief, said the DCOE team has been training together by performing network defense for many years at Cyber Shield, but this year they focused on improving their understanding of offensive tools and techniques.
“Practicing realistic network offense can be difficult outside of this exercise, so Cyber Shield is a valuable opportunity to develop the team’s opposing force perspective,” said Smith, who acted as the Cyber Shield exercise opposing force team lead. “Having expertise on both sides of a cyberattack will elevate our team’s defensive skills to the next level.”
The other Pennsylvania National Guard members who participated in the exercise were: Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jeremy Marroncelli, who acted as Cyber Shield exercise range lead; Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brandon Harper, who was an OPFOR team member; and Sgt. 1st Class Jonnathan Arce, who was a range team member.
Pierce and Marroncelli were recognized by the Military Cyber Professionals Organization and presented with the Military Order of Thor award for their significant contributions to not only the Cyber Shield exercise, but also for their contributions to the community of military cyber professionals.
Cyber Shield is conducted at the unclassified level to allow greater participation. The exercise is a result of the National Guard’s commitment to defend critical infrastructure from the growing threat of cyber assaults.
The mission of Cyber Shield is to develop, train and exercise cyber forces in the areas of computer network internal defensive measures and cyber incident response. These capabilities facilitate National Guard Cyber Teams’ abilities to conduct missions to coordinate, train and assist federal, state and industry network owners that are threatened by cyberattack.
“Cyber Shield 2023 … unites top talent from across the nation, including military and industry experts, to prepare for America's most challenging times,” said Brig. Gen. Teri Williams, Cyber Shield exercise director and vice director of operations (CYBER), National Guard Bureau. “Our dedicated volunteer staff is deeply committed to safeguarding our nation's critical infrastructure, investing countless hours in creating a realistic and impactful scenario. By incorporating current threats, they provide an accurate and actionable test for the present and future heroes of our states, industries and the United States.”
This was the ninth consecutive year the Pennsylvania DCOE participated in Cyber Shield, Pierce said.
| Date Taken: | 06.26.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 06.26.2023 11:48 |
| Story ID: | 447964 |
| Location: | FORT INDIANTOWN GAP, PENNSYLVANIA, US |
| Web Views: | 222 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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