A Recap of a Panel at the Billington State and Local CyberSecurity Summit
At the Inaugural Billington State and Local CyberSecurity Summit on March 20, the National Guard Bureau’s Director of Operations, MG Joe Jarrard, and Vice Director of Operations for Cyber, BG Teri Williams, shed light on the National Guard’s pivotal role in cyber defense at both the state and national levels. The panel was moderated by Brian O’Donnell, VP, Carahsoft. The summit featured over 40 speakers, over 30 roundtables, three ransomware panels and had over 900 registrants and over 30 sponsors.
With a presence in all 50 states, three US jurisdictions, and the District of Columbia, every unit of the National Guard now incorporates a cyber element. These units, under the control of their respective state or jurisdictional governments, can be utilized for a myriad of purposes, including responding to cyber events.
The National Guard’s cyber capabilities offer a versatile resource for state and local authorities. The Guard aims to foster proactive relationships with state entities, conducting vulnerability assessments, participating in incident planning efforts, and providing education on cyber threats. In times of crisis, the Guard can assist local teams in addressing cyber issues, aiding in remediation, and expediting recovery. Furthermore, the Guard has the authority to mobilize teams from different states to assist with specific incidents.
On a national scale, the Guard is an integral part of the larger US Cyber Command effort, contributing to foreign cyber forward missions, daily IT and cyber defense support, and training and crisis management. The Guard, in collaboration with CISA, hosts the nation’s largest cyber exercise—Cyber Shield, held biennially on an international scale. They also support regional cyber exercises such as Cyber Fortress and Cyber Discovery.
The National Guard’s cyber program is powered by a part-time warrior workforce, many of whom hold full-time positions in technical companies. This synergy allows them to bring their professional expertise to augment their service in the Guard. States can leverage the Guard’s time either through their regular “drill state” status time or via additional state-provided funding.
The National Guard’s cyber efforts are evident in their support for local and state elections, by their full participation in State and local cyber incident planning exercises, and in their strong cyber educational programs. Unlike CISA, the Guard are local citizens and can be called upon quickly to support local and state events. Major General Jarrad highlighted the fact that many companies are ok to give up their employees for guard deployments given the effort provides them a constantly trained workforce upon their return.
Guard priorities are individual State priorities and that of DOD in times that they are called upon to support national issues. One area that the Guard sees as a potential growth area is in providing better cyber support to the critical infrastructure and operational environment domain; an area that the Guard believes its cyber training regimen, its normal and required drill state time commitment, and its strong technical workforce can be leveraged to better support in the future.