{"id":11000,"date":"2025-12-17T18:35:18","date_gmt":"2025-12-17T18:35:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/?p=11000"},"modified":"2026-01-21T18:35:35","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T18:35:35","slug":"maryland-guard-cyber-teams-build-momentum-in-protecting-statewide-networks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/2025\/12\/17\/maryland-guard-cyber-teams-build-momentum-in-protecting-statewide-networks\/","title":{"rendered":"Maryland Guard Cyber Teams Build Momentum in Protecting Statewide Networks"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

By Staff Sgt. Amber Peck
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ARLINGTON, Va. — Maryland National Guard cyber teams are a key part of a statewide task force focused on a \u201cwhole of government approach\u201d to cybersecurity efforts and ways to enhance cyber readiness.

The Maryland Cybersecurity Task Force, established by Gov. Wes Moore in January 2024, brings together Maryland Guard members and personnel from the Maryland Department of Information Technology and several other state agencies.

\u201cThe mission tasks of these units and the specialized skills of our service members directly correlate to the work tasks of the Maryland Cyber Task Force,\u201d U.S. Air Force Col. Thomas Herster, the communications and cyber officer with the Maryland Guard Joint Staff, said in 2024 when the task force was established.

The task force\u2019s Maryland Guard element includes cyber threat hunters, attack analysts, cybersecurity engineers, penetration testers and more, all working to improve how Maryland prevents, detects and responds to cyber threats across state and local government networks.

Maryland Guard members serve on state active duty with the task force, and other Maryland Guard cyber elements can be called upon if needed. That includes the 169th Cyber Protection Team, or CPT, a full-time Maryland Army National Guard unit with a defensive cyber focus and one of several Army National Guard cyber protection teams that handles validation and assessment of other cyber units.

\u201cOur Soldiers have to be the subject matter experts for every tool and update out there,\u201d said U.S. Army Capt. Marissa Robbins, commander of the 169th CPT. \u201cThat takes discipline, intelligence, and constant learning, and I\u2019m incredibly proud of how they set the standard for the rest of the force.\u201d

Robbins, who assumed command of the team Oct. 1, said they are preparing for significant changes in their mission set as cyber threats evolve.

\u201cThere\u2019s an increased focus on critical infrastructure, and that\u2019s where much of the change ahead is directed,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cBut adapting to change is our bread and butter\u2014we\u2019re perpetual learners.\u201d

A similar set of expertise is found in the Maryland Air National Guard\u2019s 175th Cyberspace Operations Group, or COG, one of the few Air National Guard cyber units that integrates offensive, defensive and intelligence missions under a single command structure.

\u201cOur Airmen bring both military cyber expertise and civilian-sector experience,\u201d said U.S. Air Force Col. Jason Barrass, commander of the 175th COG. \u201cThat combination gives us an advantage in real-world situations where speed and adaptability matter.\u201d

This fall, Airmen with the unit responded to a cyber attack that temporarily affected elements of the state government network. Many Airmen volunteered to be part of the response mission, said Barrass.

\u201cThey raised their hands because they believed they could help \u2014 and they did,\u201d he said. \u201cOne Airman traveled across the country to support the mission. That speaks volumes about their commitment and capability.\u201d

Those who responded worked alongside information technology staff and cyber teams from state agencies to assess the incident, advise on recovery steps and strengthen safeguards against future attacks.

\u201cThey dropped what they were doing in their civilian lives and took two weeks out of their lives,\u201d said U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Christopher Quinlan, commander of the 276th Cyber Operations Squadron, Maryland Air Guard. \u201cIt\u2019s an amazing example of our Airmen and the services they provide to Maryland and their communities.\u201d

In addition to direct support missions, the Maryland Guard builds cyber resilience through initiatives such as the Maryland Critical Infrastructure Cyber Resilience Workshop, a three-day event held in August that focused on building interagency cybersecurity partnerships.

During the workshop, representatives from the Environmental Protection Agency, the FBI, local water utilities and Maryland Army Guard cyber team Soldiers took part in a tabletop exercise simulating a cyberattack on water systems. They identified network gaps, resources and communication channels needed for an effective response.

The collaboration improved coordination across agencies and strengthened Maryland\u2019s ability to protect critical infrastructure, said Robbins.

\u201cIt was so useful for everyone involved to understand what our next steps and available resources would be if something were to happen,\u201d she said, adding that the 169th CPT plans to co-host an upcoming workshop similarly focused on energy and power systems.

\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of uncharted territory for us, and that\u2019s exciting,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cOur Soldiers don\u2019t want to sit still \u2014 they want to be part of something bigger that protects our state and nation.\u201d

Being part of something bigger also means growing partnerships internationally.

The Maryland Guard is partnered with both Estonia and Bosnia and Herzegovina in the Department of War National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program, which pairs Guard elements with partner nations worldwide for mutual training and subject matter expert exchanges.

Maryland Guard members have teamed up with military cyber teams from both countries in a variety of training exercises.

\u201cIt\u2019s serendipitous to have that partnership,\u201d Robbins said. \u201cWe take a lot of pride in helping them grow their cyber capability while also learning from their perspective.\u201d

That helps bring a new or different approach to cybersecurity at home.

\u201cWe\u2019re really good at pulling resources and partners together,\u201d said Robbins, adding that helps defeat cyber threats now and in the future.

\u201cI\u2019m looking forward to a challenge because ultimately that\u2019s how I\u2019d summarize everything on the horizon,\u201d she said. \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of uncharted territories and it\u2019s exciting to be the tip of the spear to set the standard, navigate and organize the effort for our new focuses and mission set.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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By Staff Sgt. Amber Peck ARLINGTON, Va. — Maryland National Guard cyber teams are a key part of a statewide task force focused on a \u201cwhole of government approach\u201d to cybersecurity efforts and ways to enhance cyber readiness. The Maryland Cybersecurity Task Force, established by Gov. Wes Moore in January 2024, brings together Maryland Guard  Read the Rest…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":161,"featured_media":11009,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11000","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11000","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/161"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11000"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11000\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11012,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11000\/revisions\/11012"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11009"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11000"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11000"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/news.maryland.gov\/ng\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11000"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}