Miss. is ANG cyber protect team

The Mississippi National Guard will be part of a 39-member Cyber Protection Team that includes the states of Louisiana and Texas. Mississippi will be one of 10 Army National Guard cyber protection team sites expected to be activated by the end of FY 2019, according to Col. Lee Smithson, director of military support for the MNG. Cyber team goals are to protect military networks, and safeguard the public from potential criminal or terroristic cyber-attacks. Smithson believes Mississippi was chosen in part due to the strength of the Mississippi State University’s computer science department and its Distributed Analytics and Security Institute, which will help train guardsmen to protect critical infrastructure, and respond to potential incidents. (Source: Mississippi Public Broadcasting 12/21/15)