Gulfport, Miss -- Every day, technology is becoming more and more advanced bringing new threats in technological warfare. Within the United States military, a cyber team’s most important tasks include defending military networks and weapons platforms and protecting America's critical infrastructure.
The 175th Cyberspace Operations Squadron, Maryland Air National Guard, based in Middle River, Maryland, provided electronic warfare support for various entities while at Southern Strike 2022. Southern Strike 2022 is a large-scale, joint multinational combat exercise hosted by the Mississippi National Guard that provides tactical level training for the full spectrum of conflict.
As a cyberspace operations Squadron, the 175th Wing is responsible for protecting military networks and the country against cyberattacks from enemy forces.
“Our main goal is to come in, integrate and be able to bolster the support that is required for our mission,” said U.S. Air Force Maj. Dan Sorensen, cyber component lead, Maryland Air National Guard. “One of the key components is oftentimes communication. We’re going to try and do more integration to be able to protect critical infrastructure and key resources.”
The capabilities of a cyber operations unit help the entire force to be better suited for the present age of warfighting.
“The key is to combine cyber within the electronic warfare as well as special forces to see how we can move to the next generation of preparedness,” said Sorensen.
Large-scale training exercises prepare the military's cyber force to fight real-world cyber threats, close adversaries, and other global cyber threats.