The Vermont National Guard will soon test its ability to combat a cyber attack on critical infrastructure, such as the state’s utility grid. Guard personnel will be involved in a major exercise later this month, says Maj. Gen. Steven Cray, the state's adjutant general.
"There are a number of actors out there that want to do harm and know that they can do harm through cyber," Cray told Vermont Edition on Tuesday. "And so providing cybersecurity is important and it's an important mission for the Department of Defense, and including the National Guard."
Cray says that teams are being formed to deal with the military side of a response to a cyber attack, but the Guard may also help civilian organizations as well.
"We're still exploring exactly the legalities of being able to supply support to state entities, and perhaps even private industry, like power and water and those kinds of things," Cray explains.
Cray says the training exercise will use a closed computer network for the simulated cyber attack.
The full interview with Cray on Vermont Edition can be heard above. He also discusses the Guard's deployments and staffing, the timeline for the F-35s and the military's suicide rate compared to the general population.
