10.04.2019 –
SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS – The Illinois Army National Guard received notification that approximately 20 Soldiers from the 176th Cyber Protection Team, headquartered in Bloomington, Illinois, are slated to be activated for federal service in the fall of 2020.
The unit is scheduled to obtain, design, maintain, secure, defend, and manage infrastructure for U.S. Cyber Command to enable organic and subordinate elements to conduct overseas contingency operations. The unit will be based at Fort Meade, Maryland, for the duration of the activation.
“The Illinois National Guard is vital to our nation’s defense; whether that is overseas, here in Illinois, or elsewhere in the United States,” said Brig. Gen. Richard R. Neely, The Adjutant General of the Illinois National Guard. “The 176th is highly trained and ready to meet the demands of this upcoming mission.”
The 176th, whose mission is to protect U.S. and state interests within the cyber world, is a shared unit between the Illinois and Wisconsin National Guards. The 176th was stood up as a unit in November, 2017, one of 13 additional cyber protection teams across 23 states announced for activation by the National Guard Bureau by the end of Fiscal Year 2019. The teams are positioned around the nation's 10 Federal Emergency Management Agency response regions.