U.S. Marine Corps and Navy service members have engaged in cyber defense training programs as part of the I Marine Expeditionary Force Large Scale Exercise 2016 that occurred from Aug. 10 to Aug. 22 22 in Southern California.
The Marine Corps said Tuesday the exercise aimed to rehearse the deployment of approximately 50,000 military personnel to a partner nation as well as simulate live-fire and combat scenarios against a near-peer enemy force.
“What we are working on in the joint force across the national-defense establishment is finding our way into this new domain of warfare that we call the cyber domain,” said Maj. Gen. David Coffman, I MEF deputy commanding general.
“The ones and zeroes in the computers can go around the world, up into space, et cetera, this is a problem we are attacking in this exercise,” Coffman added.
Curtis Miller, I MEF cyber network operations planner, said the exercise involved a scenario where participants could train against a force with advanced cyber capacity.
I MEF Marines codified new techniques, tactics and procedures that worked to secure classified and unclassified computer systems through the support of the Fleet Cyber Command’s 553 Cyber Protection Team, the Marine Corps added.
553-CPT works to help Marines conduct defensive cyber operations and identify gaps in cyber defenses, according to Marco Fernandez, 553-CPT cryptologic technician for networks.
