Air National Guard Cyber Blitz exercise
Article and photos by Staff Sergeant James Johnson
Middle River, Maryland — The 175th Cyber Operations Group conducted a realistic, adversarial cyber exercise with their Maryland Army National Guard counterparts to meet their annual training requirements back in mid-May. The scenarios were based on the Colonial Pipeline cyber attack, which caused fuel supply instabilities.
“I like the concept of making the training here topical. I think it’s a smart move because it brings to the forefront of people’s minds the vulnerabilities and the training highlights that,” said Christopher Cobb, exercise planner, U.S. Special Operations Command.
During the Cyber Blitz exercise, the 175th COG and the 169th Cyber Protection Team used this opportunity to put their combined civilian and military experience and abilities to good use.
“This exercise focuses on developing a cohesive team that accomplishes the mission and ultimately wins wars,” said 1st Lt. Jennifer Santos, a cyber warfare officer with the 275th Cyber Operations Squadron. “A single service cannot win wars alone. Wars are won by teamwork among the services.”
This is not the first time the 175th COG has conducted this type of training on a large scale, Southern Strike 2021 was such a training.
“Well this is really a fact-finding opportunity for me to determine what the overlap is between [Special Operation Forces]and cyber,” said Cobb.“There’s a big push towards incorporating cyber training into special operations activities. More importantly to engage with the leadership here to find out what potential opportunities there are to integrate cyber into some of the special operations activities and exercises.”
Maj. Charles Gruver, cyber operations mission director, mentioned that this was the first time the Air Force Cyber Operation Squadron worked with an Army Cyber Protection element, working alongside their hardware, servers, and laptops in our virtual integrated training environment.
During major exercises like Cyber Blitz, support from the National Guard helps key leaders in their decision-making process. Being a part of the exercise, according to Gruver, also reveals how completely integrated the National Guard is into the Air Force and Army cyber operations.
“To defeat our adversaries, there is a need for collaboration among individuals with diverse perspectives, insights, and expertise. Creating this culture of synergy drives teamwork, further strengthening our ability to train and fight in joint operations,” said Santos.