National Guard’s Cyber Shield exercise focuses on power sector defense

The 2026 iteration of Cyber Shield, a large-scale National Guard-led exercise, is concentrating on enhancing participants' abilities to defend the power sector and its operational technology from cyberattacks, according to officials involved in the initiative. More than 1,000 troops and civilian experts from 44 U.S. states and territories, along with 23 international partners, are participating in the event, which began July 12 in Little Rock, Arkansas, and will conclude on July 25, as reported by Defensescoop.

This year's Cyber Shield exercise, the largest to date with the most international participants, is specifically targeting the power sector's critical infrastructure. The focus on this sector allows both training participants (blue teams) and opposing forces (red teams) to conduct in-depth analysis of threats and vulnerabilities within these systems. The goal is to develop and refine tactics, techniques, and procedures for remediation, enabling participants to implement learned strategies in their respective states or countries to harden networks. The exercise incorporates real-world attack tactics, techniques, and procedures observed from malicious actors, including threats to operational technology (OT) and industrial control systems, which differ significantly from traditional IT attacks.

A key enhancement this year is the integration of a physical component alongside an improved cyber range simulating the power grid, creating a more realistic training environment. This approach aims to bolster skill sets and challenge participants by reflecting current attack vectors and trends, as highlighted by incidents like the Colonial Pipeline ransomware attack and the Volt Typhoon threat actors.

Source: Defensescoop