In addition to National Guard troops (out of uniform) supplementing volunteers diminished by COVID restrictions at various polling places in New Jersey and Kentucky, other more specialized Guard units are also gearing up to defend the elections. The state of Colorado is a case in point.
Colorado has a strong partnership with the Colorado National Guard – dating back to 2013 – to protect critical electronic voting infrastructure in the state. “When we are in the COVID-19 crisis, there is a tendency to drop the ball on the fact that Russia is actively trying to undermine our democracy,” said Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold.
A Senate Intelligence Committee report last year concluded Russia targeted voting systems in all 50 states in 2016. While the report did not say the Russian effort was in any way successful, we should not deny that the Russians are trying, as are other bad actors – including China. This should not be a partisan issue.
“Our partnership with the National Guard is just one of many things we do to make sure Coloradans can have confidence in our election results,” Griswold said, reported KPBS news.
Col. George Haynes, chief of cyber operations at the National Guard Bureau in Washington, D.C. helps coordinate the National Guard’s election cyber security resources. KPBS reported Haynes as saying, “The cyber domain is maturing, just like the other air-land-sea-space domains.”
Haynes added that “We have seen an increase in partnerships, an increase in information sharing, an increase in working together through table-top exercises, through sharing of tactics, techniques, and procedures.” The Colorado National Guard’s six-member election support team has members with civilian backgrounds in programming, IT, corporate security, and related fields.
“Almost everyone on my team has a day-to-day job that we do this full time,” said Captain Reece Watkins, cyber-network defense manager for the team, according to KPBS. “So it helps us stay in the current workforce and know exactly what’s happening in real life.”
KPBS also reported that “Watkins said that it helps that guard members are used to operating in the private sector, not just on the heavily-protected systems used by the military.” To be clear though, it’s not the National Guard team’s job to fight the online threats, “just to find them.” KPBS explains:
That can be anything from someone spreading misinformation on social media to direct attacks on the state’s crucial voter registration database. If they spot something, they pass it on to Colorado’s own IT professionals to address. They also review the elections systems themselves for vulnerabilities.
Protecting the integrity of US elections at the state level is an important national security issue. Using the state National Guard is an innovative, and decentralized, way to use military expertise and assets to achieve the desired results.
Advertisement
Help President Trump Stop Joe Biden [ACT NOW]
AMERICANS WE HAVE TO TAKE BACK OUR AMERICA FROM THE EVIL CRIMINAL ACTS OF DEMOCRATS………………………..TO SOLVE AMERICAS PROBLEMS MAKE THIS CHOICE WE THE PEOPLE’ HAVE THE POWER OF OUR VOICES AND OUR VOTES, TO VOTE OUT THE ENTIRE LYING,CORRUPT, TREASONOUS DEMOCRAT PARTY COME NOV 2020, VOTE TO MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN AND TO END ALL CORRUPTIONS IN WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT
“Woe unto them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!” (Isaiah 5:20).
bren n texas — what about ending all corruptions in state and local governments as well? That would sure help Our Country also.
Voting does no good.
The e/GOP/Democrat Uni-Party only front candidates that prostitute themselves to the globalist agenda or they get no money.
Patriots are left to chose between shades of pre-selected grey!
You are so right. I pray America will wake up to the evil corrupt Democrats in government and vote them all out. America’s survival depends on this.
I pray to ALL EVIL DOERS IN OUR GOVERNMENT DISPOSED OF! NO MATTER WHAT TYPE
OF POLITICS THEY ARE!!! Amen???☀️??
Now if the people guarding the polling places and elections are well designated with name tags and identification which is very visible and in every aspect they are approved by both parties in the election.
Stupid advertisement right in the middle of the first paragraph… Who are the idiots that come up with that kind of move?
President Trump should issue an executive order outlawing mail in voting!
No F#@king Hablo!