Photo By Staff Sgt. Jasmine McCarthy | Washington National Guardsmen from the state's Defensive Cyber Operations Element...... read more read more
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Focused on developing, training, and exercising cyber forces across the Department of Defense, a team of cyber professionals from the Washington Army National Guard joined more than 900 National Guard and Army Reserve soldiers, airmen, sailors, guardians, and civilian cyber professionals from around the world in Virginia Beach, VA for Cyber Shield 2025, May 30 to June 13, 2025.
“Cyber Shield 2025 really focuses beyond technical abilities and helps enhance the Guard's capacity to work smoothly with state agencies, critical infrastructure partners like Tacoma Public Utilities, and industry experts such as Nicholas Mesagno to respond collectively to changing cyber threats,” said Sameer Puri, chief information officer, Directorate of Information Management, Washington Army National Guard.
Cyber Shield is the Department of Defense's longest-running exercise, and it has become the premier annual training event designed to improve the cyber defense capabilities of the National Guard, Reserve, and partner organizations. The exercise unites cyber warriors, industry experts, and government partners to sharpen skills, test tactics, and boost collaboration in protecting the nation's critical infrastructure from evolving cyber threats. Additionally, 15 countries within the State Partnership Program collaborated to develop a unified approach to defending against cyber threats.
Cyber Shield 2025 marked the 11th year the Washington Army National Guard has participated in the exercise. This year, Maj. Lewis Lujan stepped into the role of Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) Team Chief.
“As a new Team Chief, Maj. Lujan effectively utilized the technical expertise of experienced leaders like Chief Warrant Officer 3 Brian Gosch and Sgt. 1st Class Joseph Mandel, ensuring the team functioned effectively in complex scenarios during the exercise,” said Puri.
Lujan had Chief Warrant Officer 5 Michael Olmsted serving as Deputy Team Chief, who brings more than 41 years of military experience to the exercise.
"One of the strengths of our soldiers is our ability to translate civilian cyber experience into military operations. Many of our soldiers work in high-level IT and cybersecurity jobs outside of uniform, and Cyber Shield gives us the chance to bring that expertise directly into our mission,” said Olmsted.
Civilian partners also play a critical role during Cyber Shield.
“We had incredibly valuable input from Nate Walters and James Webb from Tacoma Public Utilities. They added realism to the exercise through their roles,” said Puri. “Nicholas’ efforts to develop a Cyber Incident Response Team (CIRT) within the Washington Emergency Management Division (EMD) is focused on boosting the state's cyber resilience. He is a cyber-resilience specialist, focused on enhancing coordination between state agencies and critical infrastructure partners, as well as developing strategies to better equip the state for handling and responding to cyber incidents.”
Puri believes that the partnerships between civilian cyber professionals, emergency management professionals and Guard members will play a critical role in future Cyber Shields, to include more subject matter expert exchange opportunities.
“As we look ahead to 2026, the Washington Army National Guard is excited to build on the successes of Cyber Shield 2025. The Guard plans to continue expanding its participation in Cyber Shield, exploring new ways to enhance technical capabilities, strengthen partnerships, and refine response strategies to address evolving cyber threats,” said Puri. “A key focus will be applying lessons learned from other states and mission partners to improve internal processes, training, and operational effectiveness. The Guard is also committed to expanding collaboration with partners in the State Partnership Program to address shared cybersecurity challenges and bolster collective cyber resilience. Through these efforts, the Washington Army National Guard remains dedicated to defending the cyber frontlines and protecting both state and national interests in an increasingly complex cyber landscape.”
| Date Taken: | 07.02.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 07.02.2025 16:24 |
| Story ID: | 502176 |
| Location: | CAMP MURRAY, WASHINGTON, US |
| Hometown: | TACOMA, WASHINGTON, US |
| Web Views: | 75 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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