Indianapolis – The Indiana National Guard received approval today for a Cyber Protection Team (CPT) to be added to the FY-16 force structure.
Indiana is one of three states to receive this new force structure. Georgia and California will also each receive a CPT. Indiana will join with Michigan and Ohio to collectively resource and maximize utilization and capabilities of this new team.
The CPT will be trained on Information Technology and Cyber-specific skills. If mobilized, the CPT will provide surge support to the Army Cyber Command and support defensive cyberspace operations as assigned. When deployed in support of state active duty, the CPT will be used to provide support to law enforcement, homeland defense and support to civilian authorities.
The Indiana Army National Guard is uniquely postured to support the CPT mission based on skill-sets and experiences already present in Indiana. The Indiana National Guard has strong partnerships with the cyber community in the fields of research, security and law enforcement. Key academic resources in Indiana include Purdue University’s Cyber Center and Indiana University’s Center for Applied Cyber Security Research, which is a leader in the Army Cyber-Security Collaborative Research Alliance.
Indiana’s fully accredited 10,000 square foot Sensitive Compartmentalized Information Facility and the Muscatatuck / Atterbury cyber range made Indiana a strong competitor in this new force structure decision. The Indiana cyber range is a premier training facility for both public and private cyber endeavors and will host the 2015 Cyber Shield national-level training exercise.
