CAP Cyber Missions
Developing the next generation of cyberspace defense operators is an urgent national need. CAP members are rising to the challenge through self-study, classroom lessons and activities, competitions, and week-long career exploration academies.
Cisco Partnership
Check out the announcement (PPTX) of the partnership between Cisco Networking Academy and CAP!
Civil Air Patrol is partnering with Cisco Networking Academy (NetAcad) to make cybersecurity support, training and curriculum resources available for free to all 60,000 CAP members.
The partnership with Cisco was announced at CAP’s recent 2020 National Conference to benefit CAP cadets, many of whom are already involved in cyber defense education and competition, and also generate excitement among senior members interested in cybersecurity.
“I am excited to bring NetAcad to CAP members, as it will give them an opportunity to learn cybersecurity, networking and other skills that can be tied with their work in CAP and in industry,” said Sara Shreve, Cisco corporate social responsibility manager. “NetAcad provides foundational knowledge that accelerates one’s ability to find a career or upgrade their current skillset. I have personally seen this become a reality for many students.”
Click here for the full story on this exciting partnership! Access to content will be released in the near future.
Cisco Learn-A-Thon
A Learn-A-Thon officially opened CAP’s access to the NetAcad program! CAP regions and wings competed to have the highest number of cadets and senior members complete the 15-hour Introduction to Cybersecurity course.
CAP members who participated in the Learn-A-Thon and pass the introductory course were rewarded with a Cisco Intro to Cybersecurity digital badge as well as a Learn-a-Thon Experience badge.
Results will be posted soon on the competition and winning wings and regions!
Cyber Badge Program
To encourage cadet participation in CAP’s cyber education programs, cadets may earn the Cadet Cyber Badge which recognizes a cadet's dedication to cyber education. To learn more, download the pamphlet (PDF) and use the tracking log (XLSX) to keep track of the cadet's progress in the program.
Cyber Officer Specialty Track
CAP is in the planning stages to launch Cyber Officer Speciality Track which will be for both cadets and senior members. More information will be posted as it becomes available.
CAP National Cyber Academy
The CAP National Cyber Academy (CNCA), the summer cyber NCSA, integrates cyber security certification standards into career exploration courses and dovetails with the Cadet Program Cyber Module which is in production. The CNCA hosts two courses, Cyber Ops Fundamentals and Cyberspace Networking, at two locations - Texas-area and Virginia-area. Exact dates and locations for 2021 will be coming later on this year.
Great Lakes Region Cybersecurity Academy
The CAP Great Lakes Region Cybersecurity Camp provides a place for cadets to grow their knowledge of Windows and Linux operating systems, networking, cybersecurity careers, cybersecurity defense techniques, and leadership—while having some fun in the process! Cadets will become stronger CyberPatriot competitors, with sharper leadership and teamwork skills, and will learn about future education and career options.
Air Force Association CyberCamps
The Air Force Association has CyberCamps through the summer for groups to introduce students to cyber security concepts and prepare them for their first CyberPatriot competition. They have a standard camp as well as an advanced camp. The standard camp is for students and cadets who have no previous cyber security or CyberPatriot experience while the advanced camp is for students who have some experience and want to learn additional concepts.
The camp is designed around a four hour day with lecture material and hands on lab learning Monday through Thursday. Friday is a mini CyberPatriot competition designed to reinforce the material that was learned during the week.
2020 Camp Statistics:
- June Standard Camps: 20
- July Standard Camps: 12
- Advanced Camps: 24
- Estimated total enrollments: 922 cadets
In the past, the AFA CyberCamp fee for these three weeks is paid by NHQ directly. Host units will be responsible for obtaining computers and Internet connections to run the camp. In addition, the host unit will need to provide instructors to facilitate the training sessions contained in the material. Host units will be provided with electronic versions of the material and must print the workbooks for the cadets in attendance. Printing of the instructor's material is optional. The time of day when the host unit hosts the camp is up to them. It must be held Monday through Friday, however, on the days identified. Individual cadet registration is also the responsibility of the host unit.
CyberPatriot
CyberPatriot puts teams of high school and middle school students in the position of newly hired IT professionals tasked with managing the network of a small company. In the rounds of competition, teams are given a set of virtual images that represent operating systems and are tasked with finding cybersecurity vulnerabilities within the images and hardening the system while maintaining critical services in a six hour period. The top teams in the nation earn all-expenses paid trips to Baltimore, MD for the National Finals Competition where they can earn national recognition and scholarship money.
- Audience: Cadets, working in teams of 6
- Resources:
- CyberPatriot Playbook: An introduction into CyberPatriot operations from the perspective of Civil Air Patrol Cyber Programs.
The CyberPatriot XIII season is here and now is the time for CyberPatriot coaches to register their team. HURRY! The deadline to register a team is 15 October 2020 and the team roster must be finalized by 1 November 2020.
This year, team members can compete from their own home or together as a team if local conditions allow. Teams consist of between 2 and 6 cadets competing in either the Middle School or All Service Division. Competition begins on 13 November. Coaches can register their teams at https://www.uscyberpatriot.org.
We ae currently having bi-weekly coaches meetings! New or prospective coaches are welcome to connect to get information on the CyberPatriot program. The meeting will be at 9:00 PM Eastern, 6:00 PM Pacific, every other Thursday. Contact Maj Bill Blatchley at wblatchley @ cap.gov to be added to these meetings. Did you miss the meeting? Click here for the past recordings.
Introduction to Cyber Security - Activity Guide
The Introduction to Cyber Security activity guide introduces cadets to the cyber domain. Topics include codes, ciphers, and encryption; basic defense skills; basic probing skills; cyber organization profiles; cyber domain history; and more. The activity guide may be implemented as a squadron activity or a self-study activity for individual cadets.
- Audience: Cadet class or individual cadets of any grade
- Format: Classroom lectures, activities, readings, and quizzes
- Resource: PDF activity guide
Encampment Module: Introduction to the Cyber Domain
The encampment program's aerospace education block has five main components which includes the Introduction to Cyber Domain (PDF) 60-minute instructional block.
Aerospace Dimensions Cyber Lesson
In development currently, the new Aerospace Dimensions cyber module will be added the requirements for all cadet airmen and cadet non-commissioned officers to complete before they may earn the Billy Mitchell Award. The Cyber Lesson (a.k.a Module 7) will be added to the existing Aerospace Dimension modules, thus removing the "no requirement" for Aerospace as noted currently for Achievement 8.
Visit us on Facebook and join us on Slack too! Contact pcreed@cap.gov to request access to the Slack team.
Cyber Programs Staff
Contact specific Cyber Programs staff via their email addresses below or reach out to cyber-programs@cap.gov.
| Name | Volunteer Position | Supervisor |
|---|---|---|
| Lt Col Brett Dolnick bdolnick@capnhq.gov |
National Cyber Mission Leader | Mr. John Salvador |
| Lt Col Paul Creed III pcreed@cap.gov |
National Cyber Mission Deputy for Education & Awareness | Lt Col Brett Dolnick |
| Lt Col Jeffrey Thomas jeffrey.thomas@wiwg.cap.gov |
National Cyber Mission Deputy for Operations | Lt Col Brett Dolnick |
| Lt Col Bryan Pettigrew bpettigrew@cap.gov |
Deputy Coordinator for Mission Support | Lt Col Brett Dolnick |
| Maj William Blatchley wblatchley@cap.gov |
Deputy Coordinator for Training | Lt Col Brett Dolnick |
| Maj Michael Dunn mdunn@cap.gov |
Cyber Curriculum Specialist | Maj Bill Blatchley |
| Maj George Davis george.davis@scwgcap.org |
Cadet Cyber Events Coordinator | Lt Col Paul Creed III |
| Lt Col Joseph Zachariah jzachariah@cap.gov |
Special Projects/Liaison with 33rd NWS | |
| Lt Col CJ Muncy cj.muncy@vawg.cap.gov |
Special Projects | Lt Col Bryan Pettigrew |
| Maj Jacob Bixler jacob.bixler@vawg.cap.gov |
PA Liaison | Lt Col Bryan Pettigrew |
| Lt Col Jeff Morris jmorris@ncr.cap.gov |
NCR Cyber Officer | |
| Maj Derek Rustvold drustvold@cap.gov |
MAR Cyber Officer | |
| Maj Shannon Brumfield shannon.brumfield@gawg.cap.gov |
SER Cyber Officer | |
| Vacant | NER Cyber Officer | |
| Vacant | SWR Cyber Officer | |
| Vacant | PCR Cyber Officer | |
| Lt Col Gene Packer g_packer@live.com |
RMR Cyber Officer | |
| Maj Ryan Stalets rstalets@ilwg.cap.gov |
Illinois Wing Cyber Officer | Lt Col Paul Creed III |
| Capt Sharon Howarth showarth@kywg.cap.gov |
Kentucky Wing Cyber Officer | Lt Col Paul Creed III |
| Capt Stan Kowalski skowalski@miwg.cap.gov |
Michigan Wing Cyber Officer / GLR Cyber Academy Director | Lt Col Paul Creed III |
| Lt Col Michael Sidman michael.sidman@ohwg.cap.gov |
Ohio Wing Cyber Officer / Cyber Instructor | Lt Col Paul Creed III |
| Lt Col Jeff Thomas jeffrey.thomas@wiwg.cap.gov |
Wisconsin Wing Cyber Officer | Lt Col Paul Creed III |
| Maj Paul Ault pault@kywg.cap.gov |
Kentucky Wing Aerospace Officer | Lt Col Paul Creed III |
| Capt Chuck Milam cmilam@cap.gov |
Cyber Instructor | Lt Col Paul Creed III |
| Maj Charlene Garcia cgarcia@flwg.gov |
Florida Wing Cyber Officer (de facto) | Maj Shannon Brumfield |
| 1st Lt Heath Barker 606864@tncap.us |
Tennessee Wing Cyber Officer (de facto) | Maj Shannon Brumfield |
| Capt Roy Vestal rvestal@cap.gov |
MAR Assistant Cyber Officer | Maj Derek Rustvold |
|
Capt Jared Mast jared.mast@vawg.cap.gov |
Virginia Cyber Officer / Cyber NCSA AD | Maj Derek Rustvold |
|
Lt Col Paul Selig pselig@cap.gov |
South Carolina Cyber Officer | Maj Derek Rustvold |
| Capt Omar Khouri omar.khouri@ncwgcap.org |
North Carolina Cyber Officer | Maj Derek Rustvold |
|
1st Lt Joshua Klosterman jklosterman@ncr.cap.gov |
Special Projects | Maj Derek Rustvold |
|
Lt Col Don Ells dells@cap.gov |
Maryland Cyber Officer | Maj Derek Rustvold |
|
Lt Col Sean McClanahan mcclanahan.sean@dewg.cap.gov |
Delaware Cyber Officer | Maj Derek Rustvold |
|
2nd Lt Anthony Hanners Anthony.hanners@wvwg.cap.gov |
West Virginia Cyber Officer | Maj Derek Rustvold |
|
Capt Roland Wright wright.r@natcapwg.cap.gov |
National Capital Cyber Officer | Maj Derek Rustvold |
| Capt Anthony Plattsmier plattsmier@sbcglobal.net |
Texas Wing Cyber Officer (de facto) Cyber NCSA Activity Director | Maj George Davis |
