Green Beret Insights: Strengthening Cyber Defenses Through Local Workforce Development

Leveraging the Green Berets’ strategic “By, With, and Through” methodology represents a powerful approach to cybersecurity involving local communities, colleges, and universities in creating a resilient workforce capable of defending critical infrastructure, local government, and small businesses—constituting 85% of our national backbone. This session focuses on the essential role of systematic planning and coordinated platforms in harnessing local talent for national cyber-resilience. 1) New Learning: building core cybersecurity competencies within local educational frameworks to address the unique vulnerabilities of national critical infrastructures; 2) More Learning: advancing these competencies through targeted, scenario-based exercises that simulate the complexities of real-world cyberthreats; 3) Apply: applying learned strategies in simulated environments, fostering a practical understanding of the defense mechanisms; 4) Solve: developing swift, tactical responses to cyber-incidents using locally developed solutions that leverage community strengths and insights; and 5) Change: adapting and evolving these strategies to stay ahead of emerging cyberthreats and new technological paradigms. The session will explore how collaborations with local academic institutions and MSPs can be structured to develop a cybersecurity workforce that is not only technically proficient, but deeply integrated with the local and national cyber-defense framework.