West Point has responded to these challenges with the creation
of several cyber initiatives aimed at better educating and
preparing cadets, the Army, and the nation. West Point’s Cyber
Initiatives include the West Point Cyber Research Center
(CRC),
the
Army Cyber Institute at West Point (ACI),
and
the
USMA Cyber Chair.
These initiatives work cooperatively
to address the nation’s most pressing cyber security challenges
through distinct programs and for distinct audiences, and they
will strengthen the Academy’s, the Army’s, and the nation’s
preparation and response to cyber threats.
The
West Point Cyber Research Center (CRC)
is focused
on cadet education and housed within the Department of
Electrical Engineering and Computer Sciences. Its mission is
to educate and train cadets in cyber space operations, provide
undergraduate research opportunities, and continue to build
and sustain ties between the Academy and the national
cyberspace operations community. This work is relevant and
vital as cadets will soon lead the Army’s soldiers against cyber
threats and terrorism.
In order to strengthen and sustain the CRC’s Margin of
Excellence programs, the West Point Association of Graduates
is seeking $15.6 million to endow the center and support its
programs, to include internships, lectures, trainings, research,
and competitions, as well as center support.
“The Cyber Research Center is a key enabler for
inspiring cadets in the fields of Cyberspace Operations,
Computer Science, Information Technology, and
Electrical Engineering,” says LTCMike Lanham, CRC
Director. “We focus on cadet and faculty development,
support incredible education and research opportunities
through the Department of Defense and industry,
and lead numerous research efforts in cyber security.”
Among the CRC’s many programs is the Cyber
Defense Exercise. West Point has won this inter-service
academy competition for six of the last 14 competitions
—more than any other service academy, to include
Navy, Air Force, Coast Guard, and the Merchant
Marines. The competition is a prime example of the
types of initiatives that the CRC seeks to continue and
enhance, as it provides cadets firsthand experience in building
and protecting networks in a simulated exercise against world
class opponents at the National Security Agency. It is also an
example of the importance of private funding in the CRC’s
programming, as this competition has been supported by
Marshall Carter ’62 for the last five years, and he recently
extended his commitment through 2017. Mr. Carter has also
established a cadet award in honor of his father and former
National Security Agency Director LTG (R) Marshall S.
Carter ’31. The award recognizes cadets who were particularly
valuable members of the Cyber Defense Exercise.
In addition to the CRC, West Point is also the home of the
Army Cyber Institute (ACI).
In the fall of 2012, the Chief of
Staff of the Army expressed an urgent requirement to address
the Army’s critically short supply of cyber-qualified leaders and
provide a source of strategic insight and advice on cyber related
issues affecting the Army. In 2014, the ACI formally opened at
West Point with the mission to serve as the Army’s premier
resource for strategic insight, advice, and exceptional subject
matter expertise on cyberspace related issues affecting Army
operations, organizations, and institutions. West Point cadets
will be natural direct and indirect beneficiaries of the ACI’s
expertise and mission, but the Institute’s global reach and
accessibility to those outside of the Academy will allow it to be
an internationally recognized leader in the cyber field and
influence other students at undergraduate and graduate levels.
[ CONTINUED ON PAGE 7 ]West Point’s Cyber Initiatives
For more than a decade now, West Point has been preparing cyber-savvy leaders as well as subject matter experts for the Army and the nationwithin the realm
of cyber security. But the need for more leaders and experts is greater than ever. As Army Secretary JohnM. McHugh stated at West Point in 2014, “In the past
few years, cyber has escalated from a Department of Defense issue of moderate concern, to one of the most serious threats facing our national security.”
Still Revolutionary:
TheWest Point Corbin Forum
West Point is home to dozens of monuments. The majority of these monuments memorialize
the famous men associated in one way or another with West Point: George Washington,
Thaddeus Kosciuszko, Sylvanus Thayer, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower
and more. But only one of West Point’s many monuments has a N.Y. state historical road
marker announcing its presence, the monument and grave of Margaret Corbin, whom its
sign labels, “Revolutionary Heroine.”
Shaping the future of West Point and beyond
A publication of WPAOG
Development Office
SUMMER
2015
Corbin fought in the Battle at Fort Washington during the
Revolutionary War and was the first woman to receive a
pension from the U.S. military for the wounds she suffered in
that battle. What’s more, none of West Point’s famous men
have a cadet club named after them, but Corbin does.
In 1976, the same year that it first admitted female cadets,
the United States Military Academy established the
Margaret
Corbin Forum.
Originally a setting to discuss gender
assimilation issues, the Corbin Forum grew and was
formalized as a cadet club with the
Directorate of Cadet
Activities (DCA)
in the early 1990s. Today, Cadet Christa
McKee ’15, the Corbin Forum’s Cadet-in-Charge, says that
the club is regarded as a vehicle for diversity programming
with the Corps of Cadets. Furthermore, she says, the focus of
the forum has broadened beyond issues of gender. “This year
we have really expanded our programming to all types of
diversity: gender, sexuality, race, socio-economic status, etc.,”
McKee says.
The broadening of focus is not the only change McKee has
seen in her time with the Corbin Forum. “When I first joined
there would be maybe 30 cadets at our monthly luncheons,
and there were only two cadets on the executive board,” she
says. “This year we had at least 80 participants at each of the
luncheons, with several topping 100, and we have nine cadets
on the executive board.” With more than 900 cadets, staff,
and faculty on its distribution list, the Corbin Forum has
some of the largest participation numbers of all DCA clubs.
It is also one of the most active clubs, holding two guaranteed
events each month: the aforementioned luncheons, which
focus on a variety of topics such as career advancement,
personal finance, marriage and family issues, Army branch
information, PT standards and more; and a mentorship circle
meetin
g, [ CONTINUED ON PAGE 6 ]Cadets presented thesiswork on topics related to diversity and inclusion
at theAnnual Corbin Leadership Summit.