Photo By Julian Hernandez | U.S. Air Force Col. Joshua N. Garrison, 960th Cyberspace Wing commander, briefs his leadership team during Gladiator Resolve Distinguished Visitor Day at Joint Base San Antonio- Lackland, Texas, Aug. 3, 2026. Gladiator Reserve is the wings very first combat readiness exercise that challenged Airmen throughout its geographically separated structure to test and strengthen wing readiness. (U.S. Air Force photo by Julian Hernandez) see less
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Gladiator Resolve links Reserve cyber readiness to joint force priorities
The 960th Cyberspace Wing conducted Gladiator Resolve, the wing’s first-ever combat readiness exercise (CRE), across nine states July 31-Aug. 4, 2026, simultaneously exercising full-spectrum cyber and combat communications capabilities while testing the wing’s ability to coordinate and sustain operations from geographically separated locations.
In addition to honing Airman readiness to execute offensive and defensive cyber operations, Gladiator Resolve included training on active-shooter response, suspicious-package response, continuity of operations during a major crisis and simulated force-protection level changes across three states. The combined scenarios placed mission execution, installation response and command-and-control demands into one distributed readiness event.
“This was a good opportunity to keep the warrior ethos alive while staying focused on our primary mission set,” said Lt. Col. Patrick McCauley, Gladiator Resolve exercise director. “This is a first-ever type exercise with coordination happening simultaneously across multiple states and several primary locations.”
During Gladiator Resolve, the 960th CW also hosted a Distinguished Visitor Day for senior Reserve and Total Force cyberspace leaders. The engagement presented the wing’s organization, leadership and mission sets, while discussions addressed current operating conditions, mission outlook and the trajectory of priorities and resourcing. Gladiator Resolve provided practical context for those discussions by demonstrating the demands placed on a geographically dispersed cyberspace wing.
That familiarization continued through engagements with local leaders and mission representatives, giving visitors a closer look at the people and capabilities supporting the wing’s missions. Discussions included how simulated training environments prepare Airmen for live mission conditions. Representatives highlighted progress in narrowing the gap and expressed confidence that training increasingly reflects operational expectations.
That emphasis on people, integration and realistic preparation is consistent with USCYBERCOM’s people-centered view of readiness across the joint cyber force. “At USCYBERCOM, our Code is ‘We win with People,’” Gen. Joshua M. Rudd wrote in his June 2026 posture statement. Gladiator Resolve reflected that principle at the wing level by combining Citizen Airmen’s military experience and civilian-sector expertise while testing how dispersed units operated under simultaneous operational and emergency-response demands.
Together, Gladiator Resolve and Distinguished Visitor Day presented complementary views of the 960th CW's value to the cyber mission. The exercise tested the wing’s ability to integrate full-spectrum cyber, combat communications, force protection and operational continuity across dispersed locations, while the leader engagement situated those capabilities within the wing’s broader organizational direction, Total Force role and future training, resourcing and force-presentation priorities.
