16th Air Force continues Poland Cyber Command partnership with first-ever malware attack exercise

  • Published
  • By Matthew McGovern
JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO - LACKLAND, Texas --  Poland, a logistical hub for military and humanitarian aid to Ukraine, is a major target of evolving Russian cyberattacks.

Poland Cyber Command and 16th Air Force reinforced their commitment to defeating malicious cyber actors in the information environment during a recent Poland Cyber Command delegation visit, here, Oct. 29 -31.

This visit marks the third Polish delegation interaction and the first-ever simulated Malicious Playground exercise where Polish and 16th Air Force cyber warriors worked side by side defending against a simulated real-world malware attack.

“This effort represents much more than just friendship and good will, it is an effort built on the pursuit of common defense strategic goals and understanding of the threat landscape in the USEUCOM Area of Responsibility,” said Col. John Habbestad, 16th Air Force, Plans and Integration director.

Working together, teams generated insights by pursuing threat indicators: including window event logs, domains, internet protocols and network traffic.

Sixteenth Air Force units and their Polish partners also focused on adversary threat simulation and cyber threat intelligence, growing readiness by identifying key areas to strengthen bilateral collaboration.   

The partnership is part of a continuing strategic alliance made possible by information sharing from leadership engagements, subject matter expert exchanges, video teleconference meetings, and bilateral and multilateral exercises.

“Over the last two years, we have strengthened the AFCYBER enterprise collaboration with our Poland CYBERCOM counterparts through over 16 interactions,” said Maj. Emmanuel Rivera, 16th Air Force, Poland desk officer, in charge of the bilateral exchanges.

Continual visits between 16th Air Force and Poland, allow for unified face-to-face partnerships, without relying entirely on teleconferencing and is, “an important step towards building interoperability with our capabilities and makes it easier to cooperate on operations,” said Poland Col. Michal Golak, Poland Cyber Command chief of Cyberspace Security Division.

Golak noted when NATO partners have similar understanding of tasks at all levels, including analysts, and operators, “it'll speed up the process of engaging in joint activities of Polish cyber forces and forces from 16th Air Force.”

Poland Cyber Command, established in 2022, is a new specialized component of the Polish Armed Forces with over 6,500 skilled personnel responsible for uniting capabilities in advanced information and cryptographic technologies.

“Our POLCYBERCOM friends are incredibly capable and eager allies, and they’re ready to continue building our collective capabilities to reach interoperability,” said Habbestad. “Our bilateral exchanges always result in very constructive operational outcomes.”

Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber), headquartered at Joint Base San Antonio, Texas, focuses on Information Warfare in the modern age. Information Warfare requires integrating Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance; Cyber Warfare; Electromagnetic Warfare; Weather; Public Affairs; and Information Operations capabilities.