The United States Army
The United States Army
16/08/2024 | News release | Distributed by Public on 17/08/2024 11:34
Virginia Guard Tests Cybersecurity Readiness in Exercise
[Link] A member of the Finnish Defense Forces collaborates with a Virginia National Guard cyber operator July 15, 2024, during Cyber Fortress 3.0 at the State Military Reservation, Virginia Beach. The Virginia National Guard brought together multinational and interagency partners to exercise Virginia's cyber incident response process July 7-20, 2024. (Photo Credit: Cotton Puryear, Virginia National Guard Public Affairs)VIEW ORIGINAL
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. - The Virginia National Guard and multinational and interagency partners executed Cyber Fortress 3.0, a water management cyber incident response, July 7-20 at the State Military Reservation.
"Every organization and individual in the state is a target," said Col. Gerald A. Mazur, exercise director and commander of the Information Operations Support Center. "We do what we can to prevent cyber attacks, but ultimately it is not a matter of if we get attacked, it is when. We need to be able to detect and respond swiftly to cyber attacks to restore critical services to the citizens of the commonwealth."
Mazur said responding to cyber attacks is about training, building partnerships and exercising the response process.
"That is why the National Guard is well suited to support the commonwealth in a time of cyber crisis, and Cyber Fortress is just one way we prepare for that," he said.
The exercise aimed to foster private-public collaboration and assess the cybersecurity readiness of energy and transportation stakeholders, said Maj. Andres Slonopas, the exercise planner with the IOSC.
The event brought together a diverse group, with water utilities the critical infrastructure partner. The goal was to enable stakeholders to understand how industry and government work together to mitigate a cyber attack against commercial critical infrastructure.
"It is becoming increasingly clear that nation-state actors are attempting to destabilize the nation's environment by attacking cyber networks to disrupt community lifelines through attacks on critical infrastructure systems, erode public trust through disinformation and compromise the ability of the United States to defend the homeland and project power globally," said Shawn Talmadge, state coordinator and deputy homeland security adviser with the Virginia Department of Emergency Management.
During the exercise, military and civilian cyber operators partnered with a county water authority representative to simulate the process they would follow to respond to and mitigate a cyber attack.
"By bringing together cyber operators from the 91st Cyber Brigade, the Virginia Air National Guard, more than 12 different federal partners, multiple state organizations, two NATO partners and multiple utilities, the exercise provided a more comprehensive view of the cybersecurity landscape and the potential impact of a cyber-attack on critical infrastructure," Slonopas said.
"Cyber Fortress exposed uniformed personnel to evolving technology influencing the way the Army will fight in the future, including artificial intelligence and solar," Mazur said. "The exercise also engaged senior leaders and legislators in order to gain buy-in and support for future Cyber Fortress exercises."
Estonia and Finland participated, with the Finnish Defence Forces taking part remotely from Finland.
The Virginia National Guard and Finland are partners in the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program. Mazur said the exercise continued to solidify that partnership from a cyber context.
VNG units participating included the 91st Cyber Brigade, the 123rd and 124th Cyber Protection Battalions, each with a cyber warfare and cybersecurity company, the Defensive Cyberspace Operations Element from Joint Force Headquarters - Virginia, the Virginia Air National Guard's 185th Cyber Operations Squadron and the Virginia Defense Force's 31st Cyber Battalion.
"The VDF performed admirably throughout the exercise and were on par with their peers in the Army National Guard and Air National Guard," Mazur said. "They most certainly will be invited to Cyber Fortress 4.0."
Additional National Guard units include the Maryland National Guard's 275th and 276th Cyber Operations Squadron and the New York National Guard's 173rd Cyber Protection Team. Marines Corps Reserve personnel based in Louisiana and elements of the U.S. Coast Guard also participated.
State partners included the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, the Virginia State Police, the VSP Fusion Center, the Virginia Department of Health, county water authorities, Virginia Tech and the Virginia Military Institute.
Private sector partners included multiple water utilities, Verizon, Resilient Energy Infrastructure and Booze Allen Hamilton.
Federal partners included the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Army Research Labs, Idaho National Labs, Argonne National Lab and Muscatatuck Training Center.