The Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade's 304th Cyber Battalion executed an Emergency Deployment Readiness Exercise from June 7 to June 14, 2026, at Camp Parks, California.
The exercise focused on validating Over the Horizon (OTH) support from a Reserve location to test the operational, logistical, and technical requirements for future emergent and standard mobilization missions.
Over the Horizon enables the Cyber Protection Brigade to leverage Army Reserve Cyber Protection Brigade Soldiers remotely from home station. The concept helps increase cyber capability by using Reserve Soldiers during annual training and monthly battle assemblies to support active-duty cyber hunt operations.
This proof of concept demonstrated that Reserve Cyber Soldiers can support the mission from where they are while still providing value to the larger fight. Many of our Soldiers bring commercial cybersecurity experience, and this exercise gave them a way to apply it in a realistic Army mission environment.
During the exercise, the Cyber Protection Team conducted an emulated cyber hunt against a fictitious nation-state threat actor. Soldiers searched for signs of malicious activity, analyzed network behavior, and followed the steps needed to identify and report potential threats.
The training gave Soldiers a practical way to rehearse defensive cyber operations while also testing the battalion's ability to communicate, coordinate, and support operations remotely.
"This was the most practical training exercise I've done in the Reserves since going cyber," said Sgt. 1st Class Quang. The exercise also highlighted one of the Army Reserve's strongest advantages: its people. Many Army Reserve cyber Soldiers work in the civilian technology and cybersecurity fields. That experience gives the force a broader perspective and helps connect commercial best practices with Army cyber requirements.
The EDRE proof of concept helped the battalion identify what worked well and what still needs refinement before future OTH support missions. Soldiers tested technical access, reporting procedures, team coordination, and the ability to sustain mission support from a Reserve location.
For the 304th Cyber Battalion, the event was another step toward building a more flexible, ready cyber force. It demonstrated how Army Reserve Soldiers can support the Cyber Protection Brigade, strengthen active-duty hunt capability and bring civilian cyber expertise into military operations.
For the 304th Cyber Battalion, the exercise demonstrated how Reserve cyber soldiers can provide meaningful mission support without always having to be physically forward deployed. As cyber continues to grow as a warfighting domain, exercises like this help the Army Reserve improve how it trains, mobilizes, and employs its cyber professionals.