RICKENBACKER AIR NATIONAL GUARD BASE, Ohio – The Ohio National Guard on March 5 invited cyber experts from the Serbian military to work with Ohio cyber organizations across the state as part of a state partnership program.
During the visit, the Serbs worked with cyber military personnel from surrounding Ohio units, the Ohio Cyber Reserve, and the Ohio Cyber Range Institute to learn more about how cybersecurity operates in Ohio and in Serbia. I learned more about how it can be implemented.
The SPP is a collaboration between each state's National Guard units and nations in different regions of the world. The goal is to establish an enduring relationship that strengthens regional security, advances U.S. interests, and promotes interoperability and readiness. The Ohio National Guard is affiliated with the Republic of Serbia and Hungary.
“Efforts to protect networks from attacks are a global issue,” said retired Army Col. Craig Baker, Ohio Cyber Reserve program manager. “The National Partnership Program allows us to work with the Serbs and help them improve their network cybersecurity. This is a win for all of us.”
In addition to working with these cyber organizations, the Serbs visited the 121st Air Refueling Wing and inspected the KC-135 Stratotanker, boom operator simulation system and pilot simulator.
“The Serbian delegation found the presentation of Ohio's national public-private partnership practices and experiences especially valuable,” said Col. Dragan Mladenovisk, a cyber expert with the Serbian military. “These experiences can significantly contribute to the development of Serbia's own cybersecurity capabilities and capabilities.”
Baker said a meeting of cyber experts helped Serbia and Ohio State.
“We can share ideas and they can do the same for us, so we can all help in the fight against cyberattacks,” Baker said.
