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NORTHFIELD, Vt. — �Ļ�Ӱ�� on Sept. 27 was awarded a two-year $18.5 million grant from the National Security Agency as the lead institution to continue to develop the Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Institutes at the six Senior Military Colleges (SMCs).

This grant builds upon the grant awarded in September 2020, designating �Ļ�Ӱ�� as the lead in establishing the DOD Cyber Institutes to create a pipeline of qualified cyber professionals in current and projected critical work roles. In Fall 2020, the six DoD Cyber Institutes were established at �Ļ�Ӱ��, The Citadel, University of North Georgia, Virginia Tech, Texas A&M and Virginia Military Institute.

As the lead institution, �Ļ�Ӱ�� will execute $4.25 million of the $18.5 million over the next two years. The �Ļ�Ӱ�� Cyber Institute Director, Dr. Michael Battig, will continue the development of a joint SMC integrated program enabling the development of academic, experiential (internal/external) and educational infrastructure leading to a talent pipeline for potential military and civilian DoD cyber workforce.

As the lead institution, �Ļ�Ӱ�� will execute $4.25 million of the $18.5 million over the next two years.

“�Ļ�Ӱ��’s selection to once again support the Department of Defense in a project to train the current and future generations of cyber professionals makes me proud as a Vermonter and as someone who has long seen the incredible things being done there,” Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., said. “The Cyber Institutes at the Senior Military Colleges, whose development �Ļ�Ӱ�� is leading, will make a difference in creating and enhancing the skills needed to protect and defend the networks all of us depend on.”

During the pilot program’s second phase, the SMCs will select military and civilian students for their Cyber Leader Development Program (CLDP) cohorts. The �Ļ�Ӱ�� Cyber Institute Cyber Leader Development Program will provide paid internships, immersive and experiential opportunities, research projects, competition support and industry certifications to cohort students and support students studying cyber or cyber-related academic programs.

The Cyber Leader Development Program graduates will augment their academic knowledge with measurable skills and competencies essential in current and projected work roles throughout the cyber community.

“It’s a testament to the incredible work being done at �Ļ�Ӱ�� that they continue to be recognized as a national leader in cyber education,” U.S. Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt., said. “This grant will ensure that they can continue the important work of preparing students to be the next generation of DoD civilian and military cybersecurity professionals, right here in Vermont.”

The program office at �Ļ�Ӱ��, led by retired U.S. Army Col. Dr. Sharon R. Hamilton, associate vice president of strategic partnerships, will guide the governance, process and infrastructure to promote collaboration and joint engagement across the coalition and our critical government partners.

“We are excited to build on our efforts from the first year and strengthen the DoD SMC Cyber Institute partnership,” Hamilton said. “Our Cyber Leader Development Programs provide military and civilian students with DoD focused cyber experiential and immersive opportunities to include internships, research projects, competitions, and certifications to prepare for cyber work roles.”

Working in partnership

The SMCs are committed to working in partnership with the National Security Agency, U.S. Cyber Command, the Cyber Service Component Commands, and the Department of Defense Chief Information Office.

“The National Security Agency looks forward to the evolution of the partnership with the six Senior Military Colleges,” said Diane M. Janosek, commandant of NSA’s National Cryptologic School, which houses the NCAE-C Program. “�Ļ�Ӱ��’s leading institutional role will facilitate increased collaboration between the six Senior Military Colleges and lead to additional experiential learning opportunities for students who are building critical leadership and cybersecurity competencies to serve as the Nation’s future DoD civilians and military professionals.”

The diversity of the educational programs in cyber and related fields across the Senior Military Colleges coalition has the depth to address the Cyber Mission Force work roles of data scientists, capability developer, network operations, operational research systems analyst, reverse engineer, malware and exploitation analyst, Big Data analytics, vulnerability researcher, cyberintelligence analyst, and information operations integrators into cyber operations.

�Ļ�Ӱ�� Vice President of Strategic Partnerships Phil Susmann said, “The Senior Military Colleges share common educational experiences and values of honor, service before self, leadership, and experiential education to meet our National challenges. This program will provide critical skills for civilian and military positions in the Department of Defense.” 

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About �Ļ�Ӱ��
�Ļ�Ӱ�� is a diversified academic institution that educates traditional-age students and adults in a Corps of Cadets and as civilians. �Ļ�Ӱ�� offers a broad selection of traditional and distance-learning programs culminating in Baccalaureate and Graduate Degrees. �Ļ�Ӱ�� was founded in 1819 by Captain Alden Partridge of the U.S. Army and is the oldest private military college in the United States. �Ļ�Ӱ�� is one of our nation's six senior military colleges and the birthplace of the Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC).