Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade's Sgt. Goedmakers Showcases the Benefits of Military-Civilian Cyber Expertise at the Cyber Subject Matter Expert Trilateral Event

Photo By Capt. Jevon Thomas | Sgt. John Goedmakers participating in the Cyber Subject Matter Expert Trilateral Event held at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Feb 9th, 2023.  

RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, GERMANY

02.18.2023

Story by Capt. Jevon Thomas 

U.S. Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade

The Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade partners with the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force in a Cyber Subject Matter Expert Tech Exchange with Sweden & Finland forces at Ramstein Air Base in Germany on Feb 6th-10th, 2023.

The Cyber SME Tech Exchange was a four-day event where cyber experts from several partner organizations came together to perform cyber-based hunt operations in a controlled virtual environment at the Tacet Venari range. These operations created a platform for participants to cover various tools and best practices for network hunt operations and overall improve cyberspace defense efforts.

The event was hosted jointly by U.S. European Command’s Cyberspace Operations Division and the Command’s Cyber Security Cooperation Branch. In attendance were 41 military cyber experts from US Army Europe and Africa, Defense Information Services Agency (DISA) Europe, EUCOM’s Cyber Analytics cell, Finnish & Swedish military officials.
2nd MDTF requested support from ARCPB due to their proven ability to perform well during these events and for the unique perspective they bring with significant cyber experience in the civilian sector. ARCPB handpicked a team of three cyber specialists to support this effort.

Among the three was Sgt. John Goedmakers, a Network Analyst for ARCPB’s 182nd Cyber Protection Team. During the event, Goedmakers utilized his experience to suggest a workaround for a software issue that was preventing the 2nd Multi-Domain Task Force from completing their threat emulation plan. He proposed a manual technique to continue their operation, which was well-received. His colleagues considered him a "jack-of-all-trades" as he continued to provide additional support to the team.

Not only did Goedmakers' experience at the event allowed him to contribute to the team's success, but it also provided him with the opportunity to learn from others and gain additional perspectives and industry best practices. The shared experience emphasized the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing, allowing for cross-organizational knowledge and skills to be leveraged to improve capability exponentially.

In conclusion, Sgt. John Goedmakers' experience at the Cyber Subject Matter Expert Trilateral Event underscores the benefits of combining military and civilian experience in the cyber operations field. This shared experience demonstrated the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing in improving capability and growing in the field.

• Date Taken: 02.18.2023
• Date Posted: 02.18.2023 12:33
• Story ID: 438769
• Location: RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, DE
• Hometown: JUPITER, FL, US