The existential threat of cyber warfare is a constant pressure point for the modern Army and one that must be monitored, constantly.

This threat has been a feature of Mojave Falcon 25, with the injection of cyber scenarios intended to disrupt networks and communications, forcing users to react decisively to negate the cyber-attacks.

Spearheading these cyber injects is Maj. Alia Ouali, cyber assessment observer controller/trainer, 91st Training Division, who’s primary role during Mojave Falcon is to observe units receiving cyber inject threats and how they react to them.

“When the cyber injects come down I observe them, but I’m also there to train units on them,” Ouali said. “Before Mojave Falcon kicked off, I made sure all the communication and intel sections knew the processes and drills. I spent a week training them on what a cyber-attack looks like.”

Ouali said one of the main cyber attacks in the exercise came from an insider threat, consisted of scenarios like improper use of thumb drives or hacking into machines remotely.

“Once the network is up and running, the hacker can do anything remotely if the machines are on the network,” Ouali said. “The reserve training units responded perfectly to the first cyber inject, to the dot.”

How they were trained, they responded, Ouali continued, which is the results they wanted.

“They isolated the machines, went through the drills, did everything they were supposed to,” she said. “My cyber officer injected it, I observed it, the units reacted, and the loop was closed when they submitted the cyber incident report to the cyber officer.”

The inclusion of cyber threats into exercises like Mojave Falcon is essential, given the danger and prevalence of such attacks, Ouali said.

“Cyber attackers can get into machines simply via the network, and it only takes someone from the inside,” Ouali explained. “They may not need that – they have their own methods of gaining access and we’re replicating this in a safe and secure manner.”

Ouali said if units continue to practice averting cyber threats, it helps them remain vigilant when the real threat arrives – and Mojave Falcon has provided them the platform to do just that.