Photo By Staff Sgt. Kelly Boyer | Some of the more than 300 players in Cyber Yankee 2025 operate as part of Blue Team 2,...... read more read more
The New Hampshire National Guard hosted more than 300 participants from across the military, government, private industry, and allied nations who converged at the Edward Cross Training Complex in Pembroke, N.H., for Cyber Yankee 2025, a two-week cyber defense exercise held May 5–16.
Now in its 11th year, the Defensive Cyber Operations exercise simulated a large-scale cyberattack on critical infrastructure across New England.
“As global cyber threats continue to escalate, exercises like Cyber Yankee remain essential to U.S. national defense,” said Dupuis. “With our expanding scope of threats, growing list of partners, and emphasis on real-world applicability, Cyber Yankee stands as a model for whole-of-government cyber response.”
The scenario, executed entirely within the Department of Defense’s Persistent Cyber Training Environment (PCTE), revolved around unattributed cyberattacks on fictional utilities. In the first week, participants received role-specific technical training. In the second, five joint and multinational Blue Teams defended simulated infrastructure networks while interacting with role-players acting as corporate CIOs and IT staff.
Red Team adversaries provided realistic opposition, while White Team observers ensured training remained focused and adaptive.
“This exercise has been a really valuable experience where I’m learning a ton,” said Spc. Jonathan George, a cyber operations specialist with the 136th, who recently transferred from the infantry. “It’s great to be part of a large-scale event that feels realistic and to put my knowledge into practice.”
For the first time, U.S. Space Force participated.
“It’s been very validating to see that our technical capabilities are up to par,” said 1st Lt. Kayla Santos, deputy mission planning cell chief with the 65th Cyberspace Squadron. “This exercise has given us the opportunity to operationalize what we’ve learned.”
“Even more valuable has been learning how to report up, manage information, and communicate effectively across larger, joint teams,” she added. “That’s been huge for a small, newly structured unit like ours.”
Other participants included the U.S. Marines, Coast Guard and National Guard cyber units from Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Rhode Island, and Vermont. The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency, Department of Energy, and Commonwealth of Massachusetts also played key roles.
Private sector and National Guard state partners Albania, the Bahamas, El Salvador, Israel, Kenya, Paraguay, and Uruguay enhanced realism and strengthened multinational collaboration, Dupuis said.
“This exercise is really about building two critical things: communication and trust,” said Maj. Gen. Terin Williams, special assistant to the director of the Army National Guard for cyber matters and keynote guest. “When the bad day comes, it’s the relationships forged here, across military, civilian, and international partners, that will make us ready and able to respond together.”
| Date Taken: | 05.16.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 05.17.2025 08:23 |
| Story ID: | 498229 |
| Location: | PEMBROKE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, US |
| Web Views: | 448 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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