Midshipmen to Compete in International Cyber Challenge

A team of U.S. Naval Academy midshipmen will compete in the international round of the 2016 Atlantic Council Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge in Geneva Switzerland April 7-8.

The Cyber 9/12 is an annual cyber policy competition challenging students to develop national security policy recommendations in response to a fictional cyber catastrophe.

MIDN 1/C Joe Dinkel, Max Goldwasser, Bill Young and Zac Dannelly
defend their proposal in the 2016 Atlantic Council Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge.
(Photo courtesy of the Atlantic Council)

The academy's team - comprised of Midshipmen 1st Class Zac Dannelly, Joe Dinkel, Max Goldwasser, and Bill Young - took top honors for all undergraduate schools and 3rd place overall in the U.S. competition, held at American University in Washington, D.C. March 11-12.

To make it into the competition, the mids submitted a cyber response policy paper based on a hypothetical cyber attack scenario. From these papers, approximately 40 teams from graduate and undergraduate schools were selected to attend the competition, including American University, Duke, Harvard, the National Intelligence University, Stanford, Brown, and Carnegie Mellon.

In a series of elimination rounds, the teams defended their recommendations to judging panels representing the National Security Council. As the teams progressed through each round, they were required to submit and defend new recommendations in response to various scenario updates. The midshipman team was the only undergraduate team and the first service academy team to make it through all the rounds, finishing in 3rd place behind the Air Force Command and Staff College and the National Intelligence University.

As a result of their outstanding performance, the midshipmen team was given approval to compete and represent USNA in the Cyber 9/12 international round.

MIDN 1/C Joe Dinkel, Max Goldwasser, Bill Young and Zac Dannelly
defend their proposal in the 2016 Atlantic Council Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge.
(Photo courtesy of the Atlantic Council)

The format of the competition remains the same, with a new globally-focused cyber incident. They will have to consider policy alternatives that take into account the full spectrum of international capabilities, politics, and organizations as they compete with 30 teams from institutions around the world, including King's College London, the Geneva School of Diplomacy, the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna, Budapest University of Technology and Economics, Sciences Po Paris, Tallinn University of Technology, and the Swedish Defence University.

The Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge remains the only major student competition devoted to national security policy recommendations for responses during a major cyber incident. It engages students with a group of senior-level cybersecurity practitioners acting as judges, representing various sectors including government, finance, telecom, and the press.

Part interactive learning experience and part competitive scenario exercise, the Cyber 9/12 Student Challenge gives students interested in cyber conflict policy an opportunity to interact with expert mentors, judges, and cyber professionals while developing valuable skills in policy analysis and presentation.