A two-week defensive cybersecurity exercise concluded June 12 in Lincoln, Nebraska, after 243 participants from military, government, and private organizations defended simulated critical infrastructure networks against increasingly sophisticated digital attacks. The fifth annual Cyber Tatanka exercise ran from June 1 through June 12 at Kiewit Hall on the University of Nebraska-Lincoln campus.
The exercise drew defenders from public utilities, health care facilities, law enforcement agencies, and financial institutions alongside Nebraska National Guard personnel and international military participants. Service members from the Armed Forces of Tanzania integrated directly with Nebraska National Guard teams as part of the Department of Defense National Guard Bureau State Partnership Program.
From Military Drill to Civilian-Led Defense
Cyber Tatanka has evolved significantly since its inception. Brig. Gen. Robert Hargens, Nebraska Air National Guard assistant adjutant general, noted the transformation from its original military focus to a civilian-led event now coordinated by Cyber Strong Nebraska, a nonprofit organization established specifically to plan and conduct the exercise.
Ryan Carlson, a retired Nebraska Army National Guard major, helped develop the original exercise concept alongside leaders from Nebraska public infrastructure organizations. The goal was to give cyber defense specialists an opportunity to test their organization’s cyber response plans in a realistic but safe virtual environment while learning from fellow network defenders.
The exercise name carries cultural weight. Tatanka is the Lakota word for the bison that once ranged across seven states in the central and northern Great Plains. Carlson explained that indigenous people relied on bison for food, shelter, clothing, and tools.
“We see interconnected systems as kind of that same thing,” Carlson said. “Interconnected systems are extremely important to maintaining our way of life. And they are something that we must protect.”
Two Weeks of Escalating Digital Threats
The Cyber Tatanka exercise unfolded in two distinct phases. Week one concentrated on academic training and network validation, preparing defensive teams for the challenges ahead. Participants reviewed protocols, tested communications systems, and familiarized themselves with the simulated business enterprise network provided by Cloud Cyber Range.
The second week shifted to a live-fire range phase. Defensive teams faced daily vignettes featuring threat actors that grew progressively more sophisticated as the days passed. Each scenario tested different aspects of network defense, from initial breach detection to coordinated response and system recovery.
The exercise served as a proving ground for defensive cyber operations, allowing organizations to identify weaknesses in their response plans before facing real-world attacks. Participants worked through simulated network breaches, data exfiltration attempts, and service disruptions that mirrored actual threat patterns observed in critical infrastructure sectors.
Why Regional Infrastructure Needs Coordinated Defense
The Cyber Tatanka exercise addresses a growing vulnerability in American infrastructure. Critical systems for power distribution, water treatment, hospital operations, and financial services increasingly rely on interconnected digital networks that can be compromised by sophisticated attackers.
Regional exercises like Cyber Tatanka allow defenders from different sectors to practice coordinated responses. A cyberattack on a power utility can cascade into health care disruptions if hospitals lose backup power. Financial institutions depend on reliable communications networks that share infrastructure with other services. The exercise creates relationships and communication channels that prove valuable during actual incidents.
The Nebraska National Guard participates in and supports the Army’s Innovative Response Training program, joining multiple private, public, and educational institutions as major partners in the exercise. This partnership model reflects the reality that modern cyber defense requires collaboration across traditional boundaries between military and civilian operations.
The exercise also builds capacity through international military cooperation. Tanzanian military personnel working alongside Nebraska National Guard enclaves shared defensive techniques and gained exposure to American approaches to critical infrastructure protection. These exchanges strengthen both nations’ cyber capabilities and create lasting professional networks among defenders.
As the fifth annual Cyber Tatanka concluded, organizers emphasized the exercise’s evolution from a purely military training event into a comprehensive regional defense initiative that brings together the full spectrum of organizations responsible for protecting the systems modern life depends upon.
