Coast Guard Cyber Command, in an effort to strengthen its defense against digital threats, established a new cyber protection team on Aug. 1.
The move was formalized at a ceremony on Coast Guard Island in Alameda, Calif., presided over by the Guard’s deputy commandant for operations, Vice Adm. Peter Gautier.
Tasked with providing assessment, threat-hunting and incident response services to the Marine Transportation System, the 2003 Cyber Protection Team is the third CPT to be established, and the first CPT unit geographically detached from cyber command. The 2003 CPT is currently building its staff in order to obtain full operational capability certification this spring from U.S. Cyber Command.
Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth Miltenberger, who has been named 2003 CPT’s first commanding officer, said that the Coast Guard continues to see ever-growing cyber threats, specifically mentioning the 2021 Colonial Pipeline cyber-attack in Houston, which he said demonstrates “the ever-growing threats we face in cyberspace.”
“2003 CPT stands ready to prevent, reduce and respond to those threats in our critical marine infrastructure,” Miltenberger said.
