NJROTC Cadets Participate in National Cyber Defense Championship

GREAT LAKES, Ill. (NNS) -- Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC) cadets from two schools competed in the Air Force Association's (AFA) CyberPatriot National High School Cyber Defense Competition at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md., March 14-16.

Cadet teams from Flour Bluff High School in Corpus Christi, Texas, the Navy champion, and Covington, La. High School competed against JROTC teams from the Marine Corps, Air Force, Army and Civil Air Patrol.

"The competition was a very fun and educational experience," said Cadet Josiah Anderson, a Flour Bluff junior. "While it was an uphill battle being a team of two vice the normal five, we were determined not to let a lack of manpower be the determining factor in our success or failure. Jumping in with both feet, we had the opportunity to go hands on in the areas of computer security, networking, forensics and defense against those who might wish to compromise our computer systems and our national infrastructure controlled by computers."

CyberPatriot is a national high school cyber defense competition created to inspire high school students toward careers in cyber security or other science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation's future.

More than 800 all-service teams signed up to participate in the CyberPatriot program with 14 schools making it to the finals.

"Each year, this competition draws in very determined students who demonstrate great energy, motivation and excitement in their involvement with CyberPatriot," said retired Air Force Brig. Gen. Bernie Skoch, commissioner of the AFA. "We had a great group of competitors and wish every team could have been here, but sadly that was just not possible."

During the competition, cadets participated in a forensics challenge that involved looking over a mock crime scene for all pieces of evidence and then working for five hours fending off computer attacks and hackers, shutting down taunting pop-ups and locking out key loggers to keep their competition Website system running smoothly.

"CyberPatriot is a great program, because it is providing the hands-on training that will ultimately lead to allowing these young men to be ready for whatever comes their way," said retired Cmdr. Armando Solis, senior naval science instructor for Flour Bluff. "It was very impressive to see my two cadets, Josiah Anderson and Colin O'Brien, battle and persevere. We gained a lot of respect from the other teams as they saw how well they worked together and handled the pressure."

"They also received a lot of support from the local community just to get here, and it was heartwarming to have that support," said Solis. "It was amazing the way people stepped up and ended up being a great experience for the cadets."

"We really want to express sincere appreciation to the AFA for hosting a first class competition," said Anderson. "While the competition was intense and nerve-racking, it always is exciting for those of us that were the competitors. I am already looking forward to coming back better prepared and ready to win the overall championship next year."

Pre-registration has already begun for next year's CyberPatriot competition. Visit uscyberpatriot.org for more information on the competition.

NJROTC is a citizenship development program that instills in high school students the value of citizenship and service to the United States.

For more information about NJROTC, visit https://www.njrotc.navy.mil, and for more information about NSTC, visit http://www1.netc.navy.mil/nstc/>

For more information, visit www.navy.mil, www.facebook.com/usnavy, or www.twitter.com/usnavy.>

For more news from Naval Service Training Command, visit www.navy.mil/local/greatlakes/.