16th AF, Cyber Mission Force partners lean forward to protect critical infrastructure

  • Published
  • By Matthew McGovern
FORT CARSON, Colo. --  The U.S. electrical power grid system supports all aspects of modern American life, supplying continuous power to homes, financial markets, healthcare, and national defense.

Sixteenth Air Force cyber warriors continuously secure these networks against hostile actors who target systems.

Brig. Gen. Heather Blackwell, 16th Air Force’s Joint Force Headquarters Deputy Commander for Cyber, met with U.S. Cyber Command and federal government leaders to observe student operators last month at Fort Carson, Colorado’s Joint Electric Power Range—where joint student training strengthens resilience against threats to the grid.

“This was a valuable opportunity to build bridges between federal, state and commercial providers to unite against threats and emergencies to critical infrastructure and key resources,” said Blackwell. “We could also see first-hand Grid Cyber Defense Training crucial to improving readiness and modernization needed to ensure resilience against threats.”

This environment allowed Blackwell, CYBERCOM, and participating leaders to engage with the joint military and civilian student operators and staff, gather feedback, and evaluate training effectiveness as students completed a two-week-long training event.

“Students were given the opportunity to show how the skills and knowledge they developed could be directly applied to their day-to-day missions as they conduct hunt operations on Department of Defense terrain,” said Master Sgt. Todd Keller, 224th Cyber Operations Squadron lead trainer and a Computer Security Researcher at Idaho National Labs.  

Trainees learned to operate power equipment and use vendor software to hunt and defend networks in support of priorities outlined in the National Security Strategy.

Last month Gen. Joshua M. Rudd, U.S. Cyber Command commander, announced in his posture statement an increase in Cyber Mission Force talent and resources.
“DoW systems and data—as well as critical civilian infrastructure in the United States—are being targeted, and our responsibility to defend them remains a no-fail mission for the Department and the nation,” Rudd said.

To strengthen readiness against persistent threats, Joint Electric Power Range instructors introduced the first adversary defender simulation.

“The previous iteration was Blue (defender) focused only,” said Maj. Jonas Foster, 16th AF Forward, Operations Deputy Branch Chief and event mentor. “Having a blue and red (adversary) training format allowed for a good crossflow of info across the cyber spectrum and bouncing between an offensive and a defensive mindset ensured concepts were instilled and operationally relevant--similar to what is encountered in the real-world.”

Keller emphasized how the cyber domain and the physical domain are inseparable when it comes to critical infrastructure.

“That shift in perspective, from thinking like a network defender to thinking like someone who understands the consequences of what happens when that network fails, is what will make them effective,” said Keller. “It's also what will make them trusted partners to the engineers and utility professionals they'll work alongside.”

According to Keller, the training also scales knowledge from real operations and deployments so a broader population of operators can apply similar skills on DoW electrical infrastructure and support non-DoW utilities when called upon.

Future iterations of the course may expand into additional sectors including water, communications, and transportation, while drawing on foundational concepts that translate across industries.

Sixteenth Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) is responsible for the U.S. Air Force's cyber, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance mission and capabilities. The command is uniquely dedicated to sustaining peak force readiness, ensuring its highly trained Airmen are equipped to deter aggression, defend national networks, and decisively win in the information domain across the competition landscape.