Gov. Jared Polis issued an executive order for a Colorado National Guard cyber team to provide defensive cyber support to the Colorado Secretary of State during the statewide election Nov. 5, 2024.
Six Colorado Army and Air National Guard cyber-trained professionals are comprising Joint Task Force Cyber to provide network monitoring during the 2024 elections in order to prevent cyber-attacks and enhance integration across state agencies.
“Effective cyber security requires a whole-of-government approach. We succeed by building close relationships with our state and federal partners,” The Adjutant General of Colorado U.S. Army Maj. Gen. Laura Clellan said. “Our cyber warriors are highly trained and have trained with our partners ahead of the elections so if anything were to happen, we would be familiar with the affected networks and able to quickly respond.”
For the past 12 years, during state-wide elections, Colorado has led the way in the nation by providing CONG cyber teams to assist the SoS Office in monitoring key systems for possible malicious activity.
National Guard cyber protection units are part of service-specific requirements to provide cyber capabilities for the warfight.