Pierce Squadron Takes on CyberPatriot

On Oct. 26, a team of cadets from the Brigadier General Arthur J. Pierce Cadet Squadron in Amherst, Mass., participated online in the first round of the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. After completing a quiz, the cadets began to adjust settings within a virtual operating system to secure the network. Their strategy drew from best practices in the field of cybersecurity and the requirements of the given scenario.

Captain Amanda Menier, the Pierce Squadron CyberPatriot coach said, “I am very impressed with the aptitude and attitude of our cadets. We’re in a rebuilding year and looking forward to competing in the future rounds."

CyberPatriot is the National Youth Cyber Education Program, which was created by the Air & Space Forces Association to introduce K-12 students to cybersecurity and prepare them for careers in cybersecurity or other science and technology fields. While it offers programs for all ages, CyberPatriot centers around the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition, in which teams of middle and high school students step into the role of newly-hired IT professionals whose task is to manage and secure the network for a small company. Later rounds of the competition introduce more advanced techniques, such as packet-tracing.

Teams are scored based on how secure they make the network, and the skills involved are applicable to real-world operating systems such as Windows and Linux.

The initial rounds took place online, and the highest-scoring teams will take an all-expenses-paid trip to Maryland for the final round in early 2026. Teams from several Massachusetts Wing squadrons are participating in the competition this year. Nationally, CyberPatriot has been an important part of Civil Air Patrol cadets’ experience since its inaugural season in 2009, with CyberCamps and other programs being offered in addition to the competition.

For More Information:

2nd Lt. Manar Hashmi
manar.hashmi@mawg.cap.gov