Cyber Shield 2026 Strengthens Cybersecurity Globally through State Partnership Program.

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — More than 1,000 participants from 44 states and territories, along with military and civilian cyber professionals from 23 partner nations, are participating in Cyber Shield 2026, the Department of Defense’s longest-running and largest unclassified cyber defense exercise. Participants will work together in close quarters to gain advanced cyber knowledge and test their ability to defend against cyberattacks through real-world scenarios, strengthening overall National Cybersecurity.

Held July 12-25, 2026, at the Professional Education Center in Little Rock, Cyber Shield 2026 brings together National Guard, active-duty, Reserve, civilian, and international participants to strengthen cyber defense capabilities through realistic, scenario-based training. This exercise develops participants’ ability to detect, respond to, and defend against cyber threats while reinforcing partnerships that support national and global cybersecurity.

Throughout the exercise, National Guard members work alongside international partners through the National Guard Bureau’s State Partnership Program. This encourages participating nations to collaborate, exchange knowledge, and strengthen long-term relationships.

“If you are a National Guard partner and you have your state partners here, you have a requirement to ensure they have a great experience, number one, and number two, that they leave Cyber Shield better trained,” said U.S. Army Brig. Gen. Olen Bridges, the Adjutant General of the Arkansas National Guard.

The State Partnership Program has strengthened military-to-military relationships for more than 30 years and now includes 107 partnerships with 116 nations worldwide. For many international participants, Cyber Shield is an opportunity to build upon previous experience. For others, it marks their first opportunity to train alongside U.S. cyber professionals.

“This is our first time coming to the United States, and it’s been a great experience so far at Cyber Shield,” said Capt. Gonçalo Atanásio, cyber command officer with Portugal. “Our main focus is to learn new skills and strategies in threat hunting to strengthen cybersecurity.”

Threat hunting is the proactive practice of actively searching networks and endpoints for hidden, stealthy cyber threats that have bypassed automated security defenses. This essential skill is sharpened during cyber classes and exercises, enabling countries to take home newfound ways to protect their nations against impending cyber threats.

Following in-processing, participants are assigned to opposing teams. The red team replicates real-world cyber threats by emulating adversary tactics, while the blue team, composed of U.S. and international participants, works to detect, defend against, and conduct incident response operations during simulated cyberattacks.

“Last year we brought nine participants with only one returning with this year's group; the others here this year are new, and we look forward to learning new ways to mitigate cyberattacks and increase our skills on detection,” said Capt. Monique Chen, staff officer of the Jamaica Defense Force.

Cyber Shield’s primary mission is to train cyber forces for the internal defense of computer networks and for cyber incident response. Through collaborative training and realistic exercises, allied forces share threat-hunting techniques, strengthen response procedures and improve interoperability to better defend critical infrastructure against evolving cyber threats that cross international borders.

“What you do for the United States, International partners and Industry partners matter,” said Bridges. “It takes all of us to create a resilient homeland and region against malign actors operating in our networks and doing things we don’t want them to do.” (U.S. Army National Guard Story by Sgt. Brittany Burton, 382nd Public Affairs Detachment)