Ohio could be on the frontlines in protecting national data infrastructure from cybercriminals. The Air National Guard is looking to launch a cyber wing and an Ohio location is one of two being considered.
Ohio National Guard Major General John Harris said officials are assessing the viability of the guard's base in Mansfield as the location for the Air National Guard’s first cyberspace wing.
“It is a huge deal because, number one, it will be one of the first of its kind in the Air National Guard inventory, and secondly, that’s really where the emerging challenges are going to be for us as a nation in the future," Harris said.
Harris said the decision has come down to Mansfield or another location in Minnesota. He thinks Ohio is the best choice because there are already various partnerships between federal and state entities, cyber ranges at Cincinnati and Akron, research and development capabilities at Wright Patterson Air Force Base, and a wing that's already doing some cyber intelligence in Springfield.
Harris said he expects the decision will be made in the winter or early spring next year.
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