Civil Air Patrol National Cyber Academy - SD

The Civil Air Patrol National Cyberspace Academy (CNCA) is a collection of cyber security career exploration and training courses. The goal is to increase cyber security knowledge and awareness and to forge a lifelong passion for cyber security. During our summer NCSAs, cadets receive daily briefings from various USAF Cyber Operations units as well as tours of operational facilities. They also receive advanced training in cyber security concepts to help hone their skills for CyberPatriot and other cyber defense competitions. Finally, cadets begin work towards cyber security certifications such as CompTIA's Security+ and Network+, and Cisco's Cisco Certified Network Administrator.

The following courses are available in Summer 2026:

The Cyberspace Foundations Course is an introductory course that covers the concepts required to move on to the next level of courses offered by CNCA. These include topics like cyber ethics, Windows OS security, Microsoft Powershell and Command Line usage, Linux OS usage and security, terminal usage, networking concepts, ports, protocols and services, and career opportunities. This course will also jump-start CyberPatriot team members as it increases overall cyber skills.

Contact for Activity: TBD

Activity Facebook Group for Participants, Parents, and Alumni: TBD

Note: Cadets enrolled in Cadet Wings are not eligible for national activities until they complete the program or are disenrolled.

Registration Prerequisites

The following are required at the time of application

• Must be age 14 by activity start date

• Must be under 21 years of age at end of activity

• Must be a United States citizen

• Must have Encampment credit

• Must have earned the Wright Brothers Award (C/SSgt)

• Must have updated CAP Health within prior 30 days 

• Must complete all preparatory assignments after initial selection

Staff Application Information

Cadets: There are no cadet staff positions for this activity

Senior Members: 

• Must be current in Cadet Protection Training

• Must be a United States citizen

• Must have updated CAP Health within prior 30 days 

• CAP Driver's License

• A technician rating in Cadet Programs is desired.

  • Although this is a technical activity, cyber knowledge is not a requirement for all senior staff. Cyber instructors or professionals also are welcome to apply.

    • A technician rating in your respective specialty track is preferrred

    • Positions available:

      • CFC Instructor

      • CFC Class Leader

      • Safety Officer

      • Finance Officer

      • Admin Officer

Class Leaders will be expected to supervise and participate in their classes during the academic day, and work with the cadet Superintendents to develop targeted study sessions each night for the rest of the students. Additionally, Class Leaders will be responsible for driving their classes to and from the classroom.  Preference will be given to those that have at least the equivalent Cyber/IT experience as is requested of the cadet students.

Cyber Foundations Course Instructors should be well versed in Windows and Linux usage, command line and terminal usage, networking concepts, cyber ethics, and instructional methodology. Instructors will become familiar with the course material prior to attending CNCA.

Apply in Registration Zone

Applications will be accepted from 15 December through 15 January at 12pm Central.  

Parent, Unit and Wing Approval deadlines must be met in order for an application to be considered. 

All participant and staff applications must be submitted via Registration Zone in eServices. 

Lift/Top is a needs-based financial assistance program. If selected as a Lift/Top recipient, your activity tuition will be paid by NHQ and you may have the option to receive a partial travel reimbursement towards round trip transportation to and from the activity. Lift/Top recipients must accept their slot in writing in order to receive this financial support.

CAP Cadet Scholarships: Through the generosity of our supporting donors, some CAP scholarships focus on supporting cadet attendance at NCSAs through a merit-based application process. Please see the Scholarship page to see the full list of available Activity Scholarships.

How to apply:

• Applications for both Lift/Top and CAP Scholarships are located in Registration Zone.

• You must apply for each program for which you wish to be considered.

• Lift/Top and each CAP Cadet Scholarship have their own individual Registration Zone events, separate from activity applications.

Important:

• Applying for these financial support programs does not guarantee financial assistance will be offered.

• Being offered financial assistance is not a guarantee of acceptance into an activity.

• You must compete for and receive a slot at an activity.

• You will be notified if you are a recipient of financial aid/scholarship before you are required to accept or decline a slot at an activity.

The deadline to apply for these financial support programs is 15 January at 12pm Central. No late applications will be accepted. 

• Complete 80% of the activity requirements 

• Actively participate in 80% of the contact hours and not dismissed early for behavior issues

• Activity Director determines course objectives met

• Activity Staff will not be able to accommodate cadets using the airlines' Unaccompanied Minor service. 

• Activity Staff will provide transportation to and from Sioux Falls Regional Airport (FSD).

Required Staff Training at TBD on campus.