By Capt. Dylan Bradford
VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Maryland Army National Guard cyber professionals simultaneously tested other National Guard cyber teams and sharpened their own defensive capabilities during two cyber exercises at the Virginia Beach State Military Reservation from July 25 to Aug. 8, 2026.
Cyber Protection Team 169 participated in Cyber Velocity, a certification exercise, and Cyber Fortress, a defensive cyber exercise designed to challenge teams against realistic threats to information technology and operational technology systems.
“I am truly proud of our team. This dual effort was a beast to take on, and every single person stepped up in big ways,” said Maj. Marissa Robbins, CPT 169 team lead. “I really think they made a lasting impression for Maryland at this exercise.”
For Cyber Velocity, CPT 169 served as the exercise facilitator, developing the cyber range, intelligence injects, scenario and opposing-force actions used to assess two other National Guard cyber protection teams for recertification.
Using the Persistent Cyber Training Environment, or PCTE, CPT 169 assessed CPT 171, based in California, and CPT 172, composed of personnel from Michigan and Ohio.
Supporting the certification of other cyber protection teams is one of CPT 169’s primary annual missions in support of the 91st Cyber Brigade and National Guard Bureau. The team’s execution earned praise from brigade leadership, with the 91st Cyber Brigade commander describing the Maryland team as a “well-oiled machine.”
At the same time, another element of CPT 169 participated in Cyber Fortress, providing some newer and not yet duty military occupational specialty-qualified Soldiers an opportunity to build their defensive cyber skills ahead of the team’s own recertification in 2027.
Cyber Fortress placed defenders in a real-time red-team-versus-blue-team environment in which opposing cyber operators attempted to compromise a simulated dam and its supporting infrastructure. The scenario required CPT 169 to defend both traditional IT networks and operational technology, or OT, systems used to control physical processes.
During the exercise, the opposing force employed tactics, techniques and procedures associated with a nation-state-sponsored cyber actor known to target U.S. critical infrastructure. After gaining access to the simulated IT environment, the red team attempted to affect operational technology systems and disrupt simulated power and water operations.
CPT 169 successfully defended the simulated environment, identifying and responding to malicious activity while working to protect critical IT and operational technology systems.
The team coordinated with a simulated system owner and personnel from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency during the exercise, reflecting the partnerships required to respond to cyber threats affecting critical infrastructure.
The scenario highlighted the importance of defending the digital systems that underpin critical infrastructure, where malicious cyber activity can potentially affect physical operations and essential services.
“As a Soldier and a father, I think about my own family and the other families who depend on essential services every day,” said Warrant Officer 1 Johnathan Pichardo, a cyber operator with CPT 169. “Defensive cyberspace operations are not simply about protecting computers; they are about preserving the availability and reliability of the systems that support communities. Knowing our work contributes to protecting what people rely on gives the mission a personal purpose for me.”
The experience also served as a milestone for CPT 169 as the team prepares for its next certification in 2027, providing Soldiers an opportunity to refine the cyber hunting, coordination and defensive skills required to protect networks and support the National Guard’s cyber mission.
“CPT 169 continues to excel during these exercises because of their deep technical expertise, strong training, and ability to translate those skills into real-world cyber defense,” said Brig. Gen. Craig Hunter, director of the Maryland National Guard Joint Staff. “Our state and nation are safer because of their unit recertifications and defensive capabilities, especially in critical infrastructure areas.”
