Photo By Senior Master Sgt. Jeffrey Schultze | Members of the 195th Wing conduct cyber threat assessments during exercise Amber Mist...... read more read more
Six members of the 195th Wing representing four subordinate units participated and were a part of the California National Guard group named Top Team in the cyber defense exercise “Amber Mist”, Nov. 13-22, 2024. The overall objective of the annual exercise is to sharpen defensive skills for defending vital IT infrastructure and to build partnerships with participating nations.
The annual exercise was held in Lithuania and the CNG team were paired with Ukrainian Military members as part of the State Partnership Program (SPP).
“We were primarily focused on building our partnership and interoperability with Ukraine as our state partner. Doing that, however, required both technical prowess and a dedication to learning and working hard during the exercise,” said Capt. Wesley Belleman, 261st Cyberspace Operations Squadron officer/exercise co-team lead.
This exercise is a part of the State Partnership Program (SPP), aiming to partner a state’s National Guard with the armed forces of an associated nation to grow mutually beneficial connections. The State Partnership Program has been successfully building relations for more than 30 years and now includes 105 partnerships with 115 nations around the globe.
“It was comforting to see how well our joint and coalition forces work together, without much time for building team dynamics,” said 261st COS interim commander, Maj. Ruben Carrillo. “Our forces hit the ground running and found ways to be effective almost immediately.”
The exercise commenced through forming joint teams of cyber defenders comprised of SPP National Guard and partnered nation personnel. Once the teams were formed, they received exercise cyber threat briefings and access to the cyber range to start mitigating threats.
195th members operating as a part of the winning Blue Team 3 took away important lessons beyond competitive success in the exercise.
“While many of the technical lessons we learned may fade, we significantly improved our ability to operate in a coalition environment with a foreign partner, said Belleman. “We overcame language and cultural barriers to operate as one team and, through that teamwork, succeed in the exercise.”
“California National Guardsmen represented themselves and our state in an outstanding fashion during Amber Mist 2024. Led by our very own Capt. Wesley Belleman, the California and Ukrainian team took first place in the entire exercise. It’s our hope that the California Military Department continues to play an active role in future Amber Mist exercises,” said Carrillo.
| Date Taken: | 12.19.2024 |
| Date Posted: | 12.19.2024 10:22 |
| Story ID: | 487924 |
| Location: | VILNIUS, LT |
| Web Views: | 215 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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