ABRAHAM LINCOLN CAPITAL AIRPORT, SPRINGFIELD, IL -- As the landscape of cyber conflict evolves, Americas’ cyber arsenal remains vigilant, prepared to defend and neutralize threats from near-peer adversaries. To counter these threats, US cyber warriors are deepening their training through advanced cyber warfare simulations across the country. The Illinois National Guard stands at the forefront of America’s cyber defense strategy, leveraging the full force of integrated Joint Force cooperation.
In a display of integration between statewide entities, 20 cyber professionals from the 126th Air Refueling Wing, the Illinois Defensive Cyber Operations Element, and the Illinois Joint Force Headquarters A6 conducted a Joint Capture the Flag Challenge training at the Illinois Joint Cyber Range at the 183 Wing, Springfield, IL on August 4, 2024. The exercise furthered the collaboration between cyber capabilities within the state of Illinois. The primary objective of the training was to expose participants to emergent cyber challenges testing multiple disciplines across the cyber warfare spectrum.
Working in teams of two, the participants challenged themselves, and each other, to a competition which included reviewing adversarial cyber tactics designed to prompt participants to develop new strategies to defend against cyber incursions. Joint operations training, such as the Joint Capture the Flag Challenge, highlight the ongoing commitment the US military installs on cyber threat deterrence and defense.