West Point Cyberwar Games

I found a very interesting article in the New York Times published on May 10, 2009, regarding Cyberwar testing at West Point. The article is very intriguing because it talks about actual scenarios and hacker tests given to computer science and information technology majors at West Point. For the students final exam they had to withstand a staged hack by the National Security Agency (NSA) based in Maryland. A team of cadets spent four days working around the clock to establish computer network and keep it running while the NSA implemented methods that might be used by enemy hackers during a cyber attack. The NSA also planted viruses on the equipment too, possibly the same way enemy hackers would. Teams were formed from the Navy, AirForce, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marines to compete against one another for the senior classes final exam, to see who could withstand and handle the staged attack by the NSA.
Apparently their is really no sole organization or American Military unit dedicated to analyzing the risk of cyberattacks and conducting tests and drills as West Point has. I am sure the government has some organizations working together on fighting cybercrime, but there should be an organizaion established to focus only on cyberattacks as one successful hack could cripple Internet communications and even expose confidential/top secret information to the world. This could pose as a huge military problem and give America's enemies an advantage. The NSA is responsible for bringing for these computer security analysts/hackers. The hackers have an official name; the 57th Information Aggressor Squadron, and they are stationed at Nellis Air Force Base. They are the closest thing to an organization dedicated solely to cyberwar and cyberattack prevention/research. The Defense Department also has cyberwar schools where they train and cadets on cyberwarfare, but only 80 students graduate per year. The Pentagon believes that this number is insufficient and more highly trained and qualified individuals are needed. The Pentagon hopes that young students will become interested in these cyberwar games, such as the ones conducted at West Point, and strive to become a part of the fight against cyberattacks within the United States. This article sparked my attention because I am looking at pursuing a similar degree at the University of New Haven at the graduate program of National Security with concentration in Information Protection. New Haven works directly with the FBI, as they have been known to select many New Haven graduates from this program to be security analysts and perform other computer security related jobs for the FBI. So the idea of eventually being able to participate in cyber games such as the ones at West Point has really intrigued me and is a fascinating thought. Cyberwarfare has become an increasing problem around the world and will only get worse as new technologies develop, so it is absolutely necessary to have qualified and properly trained personnel working around the clock to prevent these cyberattacks from occurring. The government needs all the help it can get and I hope one day I will be lucky enough to be chosen by one of these Federal Agencies, to lead the war against cyberattacks and more importantly, cyberterrorism.