Five MN National Guardsmen head to Arkansas for annual ‘Cyber Shield’ exercise

Soraya Keiser, Pioneer Press
·1 min read

Uncle Sam is enlisting the help of five military reservists from Minnesota to protect the country from computer viruses and other forms of cyber attack.

The five members of the Minnesota National Guard are participating this month in a “Cyber Shield” training exercise at the Camp Joseph T. Robinson Maneuver Training Center in North Little Rock, Ark.

According to a written statement from the National Guard, the mission of Cyber Shield is to develop cyber forces to protect U.S. Department of Defense computer networks and other critical infrastructure against mounting numbers of cyber attacks. The exercise, which began Sunday and runs through June 17, involves more than 800 National Guard soldiers and airmen from throughout the U.S. and is unclassified to allow for more involvement from partners outside the Department of Defense.

Participants include Army Capt. Cumah Blake, a staff judge advocate in the Minnesota National Guard. Her role is to implement legal considerations into the planning of the exercise and provide technical oversight of the judge advocates who advise the teams. The other four attendees from Minnesota are part of the assessment teams or are participating in the exercise.

The National Guard’s annual “Cyber Shield” exercises began in 2007.

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