The private-sector focus of the Pentagon’s annual cyber exercise

An annual cyber defense exercise held last month by the departments of Defense and Homeland Security and the FBI simulated a “whole-of-nation response” to attacks on critical infrastructure, with an emphasis on the private sector, where most of the potential targets reside.

The exercise held at a Joint Staff J-7 facility in Suffolk, Va., from June 8 to June 26 had more than 1,000 participants from over 100 organizations, including information-sharing hubs for the electric and financial sectors. All five military services, including National Guard and Reserve units, took part, as did the Federal Aviation Administration, according to a U.S. Cyber Command statement.

“Most critical infrastructure in the United States, particularly in the information technology area, is owned by the private sector,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, Cyber Command’s director of training and exercises, according to the Pentagon’s official news service. “So we rely on them, particularly when we are responding to a major incident or attack on the private sector.”

Continue reading at http://fcw.com/articles/2015/07/06/pentagon-cyber-exercise.aspx?s=fcwdaily_070715.