Record 13 Civil Air Patrol teams advance to Round 3

MAXWELL AIR FORCE BASE, Ala. – Civil Air Patrol’s cyber defense dominance continues with a record number of Civil Air Patrol teams scoring high enough to compete next month in Round 3 of CyberPatriot -The National High School Cyber Defense Competition. Now, in its fourth year, CyberPatriot IV challenges students to defend against realistic computer threat scenarios.

“Out of 38 total remaining Air Force, Army, Navy and Marine Junior ROTC and Civil Air Patrol cadet teams, CAP has 13 teams moving to Round 3,” said Susan Mallett, who manages CAP’s CyberPatriot program at National Headquarters. “Each service is allowed six teams to move to the final round before the national finals in March, and all seven slots for ‘wild cards’ went to CAP.”

CAP teams advancing in CyberPatriot IV, listed in alphabetical order, include:

• Air Academy Composite Squadron-Harmon, Colo.;
• Air Academy Composite Squadron Team 1 (AACS)-Zablocki, Colo.;
• Apex Cadet Squadron, N.C.;
• Big Sioux Composite Squadron, S.D.;
• Chilton County Composite Squadron, Ala.;
• Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron, Colo;
• Jacksonville Composite Squadron, Fla.;
• Newport News Composite Squadron, Va.;
• Oklahoma Wing Civil Air Patrol, Okla;
• Olive Branch Composite Squadron, Miss.;
• Roanoke Composite Squadron, Va.;
• Springville Composite Squadron, Ala.; and,
• Youngstown ARS Composite Squadron, Ohio.

Established by the Air Force Association in 2009, CyberPatriot is an initiative designed to inspire students toward careers in cyber security or other science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, disciplines critical to the nation’s future. CyberPatriot is also presented by the Northrop Grumman Foundation with founding partners, the Science Applications International Corp., or SAIC, and the Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security, or CIAS, at the University of Texas at San Antonio. As the nation’s premiere cyber defense competition, CyberPatriot is open to all accredited public, private and parochial high schools and registered home school programs in the Open Division, as well as CAP units and Junior ROTC units from all military services in the All-Services Division.

A record 1,019 teams from all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and U.S. Department of Defense Dependent Schools in Europe, the Pacific and Canada registered to compete in CyberPatriot IV, including 218 teams from CAP competing in the preliminary online rounds of competition in the All-Services Division.

CAP has record numbers competing in the 2012 competition with registration among CAP teams up 45 percent – from the more than 150 teams that entered in 2011. More than a third of the teams remaining in the 2012 competition are from CAP.

Team Wilson, made up of members from CAP’s Orlando Cadet Squadron and other central Florida units, was the 2011 champion. In 2010, CAP teams finished second and third in the national finals.

“Civil Air Patrol is pleased our cadets have again assumed a leading role in this prestigious competition,” said CAP National Commander Maj. Gen. Chuck Carr. “As the defending CyberPatriot III champion, CAP hopes to bring home the bacon in CyberPatriot IV – the 2012 Commander’s Cup trophy.”

Teams enrolled in CyberPatriot IV consist of two to five members and up to five alternates from the same squadron. Competitors must be high school students and at least 13 years old.

During each of three rounds held before the national championship competition, teams are faced with realistic computer network threats from their home locations. Each team has six hours to seek out weaknesses in simulated online networks and work to defend those networks from threat scenarios. Teams are scored according to how quickly and effectively they establish and maintain secure networks. To accommodate the different time zones involved, there is a 36-hour block to compete, starting at noon Friday and closing at 11:59 p.m. Saturday, Eastern Daylight Time.

The scores from the first and second preliminary rounds were aggregated to determine the 38 teams remaining in the competition. Round 3 of the All-Services Division will be conducted Jan. 13-14. Round 3 of the Open Division will be Jan. 27-28.

The top 12 qualifying teams emerging from the third round will receive all-expenses-paid trips to the finals March 22-23 in National Harbor, Md. In addition to hands-on experience entrants receive in all rounds of the CyberPatriot IV competition, winning team members in the championship round also receive scholarships and prizes from CyberPatriot sponsors.

More information is available at http://www.usCyberPatriot.org and/or from Merri Shaffer at mshaffer@afa.org/703-247-5847.

Civil Air Patrol, the official auxiliary of the U.S. Air Force, is a nonprofit organization with more than 61,000 members nationwide. CAP, in its Air Force auxiliary role, performs 90 percent of continental U.S. inland search and rescue missions as tasked by the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center and was credited by the AFRCC with saving 54 lives in fiscal year 2011. Its volunteers also perform homeland security, disaster relief and drug interdiction missions at the request of federal, state and local agencies. The members play a leading role in aerospace education and serve as mentors to nearly 27,000 young people currently participating in CAP cadet programs. CAP received the World Peace Prize in 2011 and has been performing missions for America for 70 years. CAP also participates in Wreaths Across America, an initiative to remember, honor and teach about the sacrifices of U.S. military veterans. Visit www.gocivilairpatrol.com or www.capvolunteernow.com for more information.

Civil Air Patrol contacts:
Julie DeBardelaben ♦ Deputy Director, Public Affairs ♦ W: 877-227-9142, ext. 250 ♦ C: 334-549-2224
Steve Cox ♦ Public Affairs Manager ♦ W: 877-227-9142, ext. 251 ♦ C: 334-296-5881