WARREN — A new training center for cyber defense training has opened at the Detroit Arsenal.
The United States Army Tank-Automotive Research, Development, and Engineering Command (TARDEC), Merit Network Inc. and the Michigan Defense Center unveiled the latest addition to the Michigan Cyber Range Friday.
The TARDEC Cyber Hub grand opening included a tour of the new cyber range and a live, virtual “Capture the Flag” exercise with TARDEC employees.
“We’re passionate about bringing to our warfighters the most adaptable, flexible, modular and smart capabilities current technology can provide to their ground vehicles, and that includes protection of those vehicles and their components from cyber-attack,” said Jeff Jaczkowski, TARDEC associate director for ground systems cyber engineering. “Opening up a hub in the Michigan Cyber Range right here at TARDEC allows us to accelerate our automotive cybersecurity efforts through enhanced training and virtual testing and its dividends will pay off for years for the soldiers in the field.”
Cyber Range Hub sites host events, exercises, and training classes. Statewide hubs operate as a physical extension of the Michigan Cyber Range, the nation’s largest unclassified cyber range. The hubs offer more than 40 industry-recognized certifications, exercises and workshops aimed at qualifying individuals for positions and contracts in cybersecurity fields.
This new hub will give TARDEC employees access to lab-based experiential learning and certification for all compliance requirements and frameworks, including NIST, NICE, NSA, DoD 8570. In addition, employees will be able to participate in live security attack and defense exercises to benchmark skills across the cybersecurity spectrum.
“The hub at TARDEC is a part of a key focus in the State of Michigan that creates an environment of increased cyber capabilities and learning,” said Maj. Gen. Michael A. Stone, assitant adjutant general of the Michigan National Guard. “It is a culmination of years of strategic planning and a vision of creating a collaborative of hubs that will connect cyber resources across the state.”
The expansion of the Michigan Cyber Range, powered by Merit, is a critical strategy included in the 2015 Michigan Cyber Initiative. A state-run test program that hones security software and cyber defense skills, the Michigan Cyber Range offers cyber exercises, product testing, digital forensics, and more than 40 professional certifications based on the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) framework.
“The Cyber Range Hub at TARDEC gives Department of Defense employees and contractor’s access to world class, hands-on training in their backyard,” said Joe Adams, Merit vice president for research and cyber security. “Not only can they continue their cyber security education with classes and seminars, but participating in the Cyber Range’s exercises allows employees to keep their skills finely honed by practicing against live, adapting adversaries. This partnership is a great opportunity for Merit, Michigan, and TARDEC and I’m sure it will have an immediate positive impact on the area’s workforce.”
Since 2015, the Michigan Defense Center has provided funding for cyber ranges in Battle Creek, the Macomb Oakland University Incubator in Sterling Heights, Pinckney Community High School, and Wayne State University. An expansion project is under way to bring new hubs to additional regions throughout Michigan. These Hubs serve as centers for the cyber ecosystem within their communities.
The Michigan Defense Center is an operation of the Michigan Economic Development Corp. focused on the support, protection and growth of Michigan’s defense and homeland security missions and the Michigan businesses that support the nation’s security and the U.S. military ’s safety.
“The opening of this fifth range at the Detroit Arsenal is just another example of Michigan leadership and dedication to making cybersecurity a priority,” said Sean Carlson, executive director of the Michigan Defense Center.
U.S. Army TARDEC is a Department of Defense research, development and engineering center for ground vehicle technology. Headquartered at Detroit Arsenal in Warren, TARDEC develops technology independently and with its collaborative partners in the defense and automotive industries.
Merit Network is a non-profit, member-owned organization governed by Michigan’s public universities. Founded in 1966, Merit owns and operates America’s longest-running regional research and education network in addition to the Michigan Cyber Range.
The MEDC is the state’s marketing arm and lead advocate for business development, job awareness and community development with the focus on growing Michigan’s economy. For more information on the MEDC and its initiatives, visit www.MichiganBusiness.org.