CROWNSVILLE, Md. — The Maryland National Guard hosted federal, state, local, and industry leaders for a critical infrastructure interagency meeting designed to build collaboration between agencies and enhance resilience across the state’s energy sector at the Maryland Department of Information Technology in Anne Arundel County, March 9, 2026.
Governor Wes Moore kicked off the meeting, which brought together key stakeholders from government, military, and business who are responsible for protecting and operating Maryland’s critical infrastructure systems.
“As the governor, I’ve been clear that there is no higher priority that I have than making sure the people of our state are safe,” said Moore, during his opening remarks. “It is my responsibility to make sure you have everything you need to be prepared for anything, so we will be able to say clearly to the people of our state that because of the work you all are doing, we will be.”
The meeting included a threat assessment from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and an intelligence brief on nation-state threats to critical infrastructure by Maryland Air National Guard Maj. Mike DeZinna, director of operations for the 135th Intelligence Squadron. Brandon Gill from the Maryland Coordination and Analysis Center presented his team’s work on the threats and challenges related to artificial intelligence.
Questions from the attendees focused on identifying gaps in protection, improving information sharing, and building stronger partnerships ahead of the upcoming Maryland Critical Infrastructure Cyber Resilience Workshop Part II scheduled for March 18–20.
The engagement is designed to build on the success of Maryland’s first state-led critical infrastructure cyber resilience workshop held in August 2025, which focused on the water and wastewater sector and convened more than 200 cybersecurity and infrastructure experts to improve collective cyber defense across government and industry.
The meeting ended with an introduction by Maryland Air National Guard Lt. Col. Michael Graham, J-6 for the Maryland National Guard Joint Staff, and Maryland Army National Guard Capt. Eric Gaiser, element lead for Cyber Protection Team 169, who will lead the cyber tabletop exercise focused on the energy sector that will be the culminating event at the workshop next week.
“Defending against these threats requires a unified critical infrastructure team, and that is all of you,” said Maryland Army National Guard Maj. Gen. Janeen L. Birckhead, adjutant general of Maryland. “We have got to move forward and move forward quickly. The time for discussions is over. We have to take action, and I have faith we can do it. So let’s take action, let’s coordinate, and let’s commit to making Maryland the most resilient state.”