The National Security Agency announced Thursday the kick-off of its 20th annual National Cyber Exercise (NCX), a three-day annual cyber competition that tests the offensive and defensive cybersecurity skills of participant teams from U.S. Service Academies and Senior Military Colleges as well as civilian interns from NSA’s cyber-focused development programs.
NSA’s National Cyber Exercise (NCX) is part of a year-round cyber education program that culminates with an unclassified exercise designed to reinforce the learning principles taught in the classroom. This year’s competition will feature scenarios that include challenges in forensics, cyber policy, cryptography, reverse engineering as well as the traditional cyber combat exercise.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2020 NCX competition was cancelled; this year’s competition will allow teams to compete in a closed-to-the-public virtual environment.
Since 2001, NSA has hosted the team-against-team competition that develops and tests teamwork, planning, communication and decision-making skills of the next generation of cyber talent.
This year’s participating teams include cyber warriors and leaders from the U.S. Military Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy , Norwich University, Texas A&M University, The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Tech, University of North Georgia. Civilian interns from NSA’s developmental programs will also be among this year’s participants.
For more information about the NSA Cyber Exercise, visit here.
