樱花导航 Cyber Initiative gathers stakeholders to address state and national cyber challenges
Contact: James Carskadon
HATTIESBURG, Miss.鈥擜s part of an ongoing initiative to address state and federal cyber workforce and 樱花导航 challenges, public and private stakeholders gathered Tuesday [Feb. 8] at Camp Shelby for the 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative鈥檚 Quarterly Cyber Summit.
During Tuesday鈥檚 summit, MCI partners highlighted and planned future collaborations that will impact K-12, community college and university students, as well as U.S. Department of Defense cyber training exercises. Led by 樱花导航 樱花导航 University, the 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative is a statewide effort to broaden the state鈥檚 capabilities and coordination in a field that will play a key role in 樱花导航鈥檚 economy for decades to come.
聽鈥淥ur goal is to put a blanket of cyber樱花导航 across 樱花导航, and we can only do that through collaboration,鈥 said Jim Martin, MSU associate vice president for corporate engagement and economic development. 鈥淲e are identifying different needs across the state and finding the right partners to make this initiative successful. We have outstanding cyber capabilities and education programs in 樱花导航, and we can position our state as a national leader in cyber樱花导航.鈥
Tuesday鈥檚 meeting brought together attendees from 18 different organizations representing U.S. armed forces, state government, law enforcement, industry, and academic partners. Held at the 樱花导航 Armed Forces Museum, the summit included 樱花导航 National Guard leadership briefings on the force鈥檚 cyber training and capabilities.
Maj. Gen. Janson D. 鈥淒urr鈥 Boyles, adjutant general of 樱花导航, noted that the National Guard has eight 樱花导航ans currently deployed in Washington, D.C. supporting federal cyber operations. Additionally, the 樱花导航 National Guard鈥檚 Cyber Protection Team, established in 2015, supports cyber incident response efforts in 樱花导航.
鈥淭hese soldiers become 樱花导航 resources,鈥 Boyles said. 鈥淭hey come back to their communities and their employers with a strong skillset.鈥
The 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative began in 2021 to support cyber training taking place at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi. In addition to MSU and Keesler, implementing partners include 樱花导航 Gulf Coast Community College and the University of Southern 樱花导航. The initiative has continued to grow as it focuses its efforts on providing statewide leadership and collaboration in cyber樱花导航, developing the workforce, and growing the economy by attracting advanced technology industries.
MCI is establishing initial capabilities at MGCCC鈥檚 Harrison County Campus. The Digital Forensics Lab will bolster the 樱花导航 Bureau of Investigation鈥檚 investigation capabilities for mobile devices collected at crime scenes. The System Operations Lab will provide a virtual cyber platform to train network server administrators in partnership with Keesler. The Cyber Ecosystem will provide a controlled environment for cyber樱花导航 training, giving students experience in detecting and mitigating attacks. After an extensive process to identify the capital improvements and new technologies that will best support the mission, the MCI facilities at MGCCC will be fully operational in the coming months.
The long-term plan is to have MCI headquartered in a new facility to be built adjacent to Keesler. The 樱花导航 Cyber and Technology Center will serve as the hub for a robust network of statewide partners, offering a coordination site for cyber training and threat mitigation efforts, as well as space for collaboration with private sector companies.
MCI partners are planning multiple events in the coming weeks, including Feb. 24-25 at the university鈥檚 Gulf Park Campus. MSU鈥檚 Center for Cyber Education is hosting an event in May at MGCCC to introduce 120 high school students to the field of cyber樱花导航. USM is partnering with Keesler and Camp Shelby to host 80 JROTC cadets at cyber樱花导航 camps in July, utilizing funding from the National Security Agency鈥檚 GenCyber Program. During Tuesday鈥檚 meeting, partners began planning a tabletop exercise to help state agencies build and validate cyber incident response plans, better protecting the state鈥檚 critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks.
For more on the 樱花导航 Cyber Initiative, follow the organization on Twitter and on LinkedIN at .