Activities

Cyber Patriot

McGuire Composite Squadron took 1st place in New Jersey during their recent competition in January 2016!

If you're interested in computer security and learning about computer operating systems and networking than this competition is for you.

McGuire Composite Squadron compete's every year in the CyberPatriot competition.

Established by the Air Force Association, the CyberPatriot National Youth Cyber Education Program was

created to excite, educate, and motivate students toward careers in cyber security and other science, technology,

engineering and mathematics (STEM) disciplines critical to our nation’s future. Led by 2nd Lt. Peter Toth,

the 2016 team of McGuire Composite Squadron cadets excelled in the CyberPatriot VIII State Round, demonstrating teamwork,

critical thinking skills, and technical knowledge key to a successful career in cybersecurity.

The team’s performance earned it New Jersey’s First Place Award.

The McGuire CyberPatriot team is currently led by Capt. James Hoschek and technical mentor 1st Lt. Justin Hawkins. In

their first year of leading in this competition, they have already placed 3rd in the State Round and have qualified for the

semifinal round of the 22-23 competition season.

CyberPatriot’s core program – the National Youth Cyber Defense Competition – challenges teams of two to

six students across the United States, Canada, and from DoDD schools abroad, to find and resolve

cybersecurity vulnerabilities in simulated environments. Top teams from the preliminary online rounds win

an all-expenses-paid trip to Washington, DC for the live National Finals Competition, where students

compete for national recognition and scholarships.

The CyberPatriot field is divided into three divisions – the Open Division for public, private, and home

school teams, the All Service Division for JROTC, Civil Air Patrol, and Naval Sea Cadet Corps teams, and

the Middle School Division. Based on the results of two preliminary rounds, CyberPatriot VIII high school

teams were categorized within their divisions as Platinum, Gold, or Silver Tier teams, with Platinum Tier

teams representing the highest scoring teams. In all, 3,379 teams registered to compete in CyberPatriot VIII.