The Air Force Association announced the winners of the CyberPatriot VIII National Youth Cyber Defense Competition. Summit Technology Academy’s “Team Sudo” of Lee’s Summit, Mo., won the national championship in the Open Division. Centurion Battalion, a US Naval Sea Cadet Corps unit from Winter Park, Fla., won the All-Service Division with “Team Netrunners,” and a team from San Diego’s Oak Valley Middle School, named “CyberFalcons Millennium 360,” won the Middle School Division. Victor Griswold of Civil Air Patrol’s Colorado Springs Cadet Squadron was designated a “Cyber All-American” for being a member of a national finalist team all four of his high school years. Northrop Grumman awarded a total of $50,500 to CyberPatriot VIII winners, bringing the total amount the company has awarded in CyberPatriot scholarships to $300,000. The CyberPatriot VIII competition season began in October 2015 with more than 3,300 teams registered, a 55 percent increase from the previous year, with each team being made up of two to six students. After two months of rigorous online challenges, the Open Division and All Service Division teams were divided into three tiers. The teams continued to compete within their tiers for state awards and advancement to the Regional/Category Round, but only teams in the top tier were eligible to advance to National Finals Competition. (See complete list of winners.)
The new defense reconciliation bill includes $7.2 billion for Air Force and Navy aviation accounts, almost half of which will buy more F-15EXs. While electronic warfare, drones, connectivity and airlift all get attention, the F-35 was conspicuously absent from the package, with no explanation given.