Fort Gordon and the US Army's Approach to Cyber Security Training

In the mere decades of its existence, access to the Internet has gone from a niche mode of communication and information storage to a necessity on par with food and shelter for most of the world, the vast majority of Americans included. We expect to access the World Wide Web on everything from smartphones to modern automobiles to high-tech refrigerators. And we rely on that access to carry out so very many of our daily tasks, from navigating our commutes to accessing our banks to firing off the texts and emails that seem to fill up ever more of our personal and professional lives.

Oh, you may go off the grid for a long camping trip or the like from time to time. But the society we live in, the basic infrastructure we all rely on, and the larger institutions we depend on, from the government to the economy, cannot exist in the modern era without the Internet.

But while the ubiquitousness of Internet access is a marvelous thing, it can also be a liability. Hackers and scammers are constantly looking for and employing new ways to exploit the wide array of ways people use the web. From phishing emails to pig butchering scams to bogus cryptocurrencies, the Internet is rife with risks.

And for those with access to extremely sensitive information, such as American military personnel, there are even more bad actors lurking in the ephemera of cyberspace looking to exploit them. Thus, proper training and awareness regarding cybersecurity are something every member of the US military should have. Luckily, the Army offers several ways for Soldiers to learn how to protect themselves and others online.

The U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence (CCoE) at Fort Gordon

Operating out of Fort Gordon, Georgia the Army’s CCoE is, as its name suggests, a crucial component in the US military’s defensive and offensive capabilities in cyberspace. Since replacing the Signal Center of Excellence in January of 2014, the Cyber Center of Excellence has held the responsibility of “developing related doctrine, organizational, training, materiel, leadership/education, personnel, and facility solutions” as well as “the training, education, and development of world-class, highly skilled Signal, Cyber, and EW (Electronic Warfare) professionals supporting operations at the strategic, operational, and tactical level.” And that is quite the array of important duties.

After all, think about the number of devices you use every day that connect to the Internet: smartphones, smartwatches, computers, tablets, and so on. Within the last decade, we’ve experienced a growing number of technological advances that have allowed us to connect and stay connected in more ways than ever.

While it’s exciting to think of the increasingly numerous and advanced ways Americans can stay connected, with more devices come more vulnerabilities. Those vulnerabilities mean that it is imperative for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) to stay prepared in keeping Americans safe. Not least of all because, as the number of civilian devices connected to the Internet consumers use increases, so too does the number of devices used by the Armed Forces of the United States and her allies.

Which is what makes the CCoE so important. It trains enlisted Soldiers and officers in all cyber related MOS’s:

· 17A - Cyber Warfare Officer

· 17B - Electromagnetic Warfare Officer

· 17C - Cyber Operations Specialist

· 17D - Cyber Capabilities Development Officer

· 17E - Electromagnetic Warfare Specialist

· 170A - Cyber Warfare Technician

· 170B - Electromagnetic Warfare Technician

· 170D - Cyber Capabilities Developer Technician

It also offers ten additional “functional courses” which can educate Soldiers and members of other branches of the US military on everything from computer programming to metadata analysis.

The Center for Development of Security Excellence

An office of the Defense Counterintelligence and Security Agency (DCSA), the Center for Development of Security Excellence (CDSE) is an accredited educational institute “that ensures security training, education, and certification standards are consistently met in the deployment of products and services for the Department of Defense (DOD).”

Established in 2010, the CDSE offers an array of cybersecurity courses to American servicemembers as well as DoD civilian employees, contractors, other federal employees, and members of select allied governments. While the facility itself is located in Linthicum, Maryland, courses are available online for any and all eligible and interested.

DoD Cyber Awareness Challenge

So, while all these courses are well and good for Soldiers with cyber-related specialties or those with access to CDSE training, what’s out there for other military personnel, milspouses, or other military family members with a desire to hone their cybersecurity skills? That’s where the DoD Cyber Exchange comes in. Operated by the Defense Information Systems Agency and accessible to the public, the Cyber Exchange offers “cyber information, policy, guidance, and training” to anyone who wants it.

Among their programs is the Cyber Awareness Challenge, an annually updated online training course that “provides an overview of current cybersecurity threats and best practices to keep information and information systems secure at home and at work.” It provides anyone with a desire to better understand the complexities of cybersecurity and improve their ability to protect themselves online, the ability to bring their skills up to the standards of the United States Army.

It’s a sad truth that, for all the wondrous upsides of the World Wide Web, it will likely forever remain a domain where scammers and spies continue to prey on potential targets. But with proper training and full knowledge of the relevant facts, threats from these malevolent entities can be mitigated. Whether you’re a Soldier operating in cyberspace or a military family member looking to safely surf the web, the Department of Defense and the US Army offer a number of ways for people to learn how to better protect themselves and their data on the Internet.