Operation Tobacco Road: South Carolina National Guard Participates in Multi=Agency Cyber Defense Exercise at North Carolina State Emergency Operations Center

Courtesy Photo | Members of a combined North Carolina and South Carolina National Guard cyber team pose for a group photo after winning the Hack the Box capture-the-flag competition during Operation Tobacco Road at the State Emergency Operations Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, Aug. 20, 2026. The annual, five-day exercise brings together military, public, and private sector cyber professionals to strengthen statewide and regional cyber-defense capabilities against real-world threats. (U.S. Army National Guard courtesy photo)  

RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, UNITED STATES

09.03.2026

Courtesy Story

South Carolina National Guard

RALEIGH, N.C. — The North Carolina National Guard’s Cyber Security Response Force concluded its five-day, live-fire cybersecurity exercise, Operation Tobacco Road, on Aug. 21, 2026, at the Raleigh State Emergency Operations Center.

The training event brought together 64 information technology and cybersecurity professionals representing the public sector, K-12 education, higher education institutions, and local critical infrastructure organizations.

Operating within U.S. Cyber Command’s Persistent Cyber Training Environment, participants engaged in rigorous blue team (defensive) versus red team (adversary emulation) scenarios designed to replicate real-world enterprise threats.

In addition to technical network defense operations, the exercise featured a multi-agency tabletop exercise on Aug. 19, focusing on executive decision-making, information sharing, and coordinated response procedures during major cyber incidents affecting civilian and governmental infrastructure.

Highlighting regional interoperability, cyber operators from the 135th Cyber Security Company, 125th Cyber Protection Battalion, joined forces with a member of the South Carolina Army National Guard Defensive Cyberspace Operations Element. Demonstrating technical proficiency under pressure, the combined team secured first place in the exercise's Hack the Box capture-the-flag competition. The event underscored the vital operational partnership between North Carolina and South Carolina National Guard cyber units.

The CSRF is scheduled to host the next iteration of Operation Tobacco Road from Oct. 5 to 9, 2026, continuing its mission to fortify state, local, and regional cyber resilience.

• Date Taken: 09.03.2026
• Date Posted: 09.03.2026 09:36
• Story ID: 573870
• Location: RALEIGH, NORTH CAROLINA, US