About Cyber Dawn
Overview
Cyber Dawn is a premier cyber defense exercise designed to train incident responders within FEMA Region IX. It brings together cyber defense professionals from military units, government agencies, and private-sector critical infrastructure organizations to enhance collective response capabilities against cyber threats.
Mission
Cyber Dawn focuses on collaborative defense measures to mitigate large-scale cyber threats targeting critical infrastructure.
- Real-world attack simulations — Engage in live cyber defense exercises.
- Learn incident response — Hands-on training for responding to cyber threats.
- Cross-sector collaboration — Includes National Guard, government agencies, and private-sector professionals.
Schedule
The 2025 event was held in June at Jessup University in Rocklin, California. Dates and location for 2026 are to be determined.
Leadership & Planning Team (Cyber Dawn 2025)
- COL Karstan L. Jack — Exercise Director
- Mr. Jose Escoto — Planning, Civilian
- Capt Wesley Belleman — Planning, Military
- CPT Michelle Andalon — Exercise Operations
- 1st Lt Philip Lamberson — Training and Education
Join our Mailing List
To sign up for our mailing list, scan the below QR code:
Or you can access the form directly at the following link:
Open Microsoft Form
California Cyber Security Integration Center
The Cyber Dawn exercise is run by the California Cyber Security Integration Center (Cal-CSIC), which operates under the Governor's Office of Emergency Services and includes members from the California National Guard, California Military Department, California Highway Patrol, and California Department of Technology. The exercise draws participation from a wide array of federal, state, and local government agencies, as well as private sector critical infrastructure providers. Attendees include all branches of the U.S. military, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM).
Mission: The Cal-CSIC’s mission is to reduce the number of cyber threats and attacks in California. Its focus is on responding to cyber incidents that could damage the economy, critical infrastructure, or computer networks in the state. Cal-CSIC serves as the state government’s central hub for cybersecurity events, coordinating information sharing across all levels of government, utilities, service providers, academia, and nongovernmental organizations.
The Cal-CSIC develops and publishes a statewide cybersecurity strategy, informed by the California Task Force on Cybersecurity and aligned with state and federal requirements. This strategy improves detection, understanding, and sharing of cyber threats; strengthens emergency preparedness and response; standardizes data protection; enhances digital forensics; increases investigative capabilities; and expands cybersecurity awareness and workforce skills.
Cal-CSIC also provides a Cyber Incident Response Team, serving as the primary state unit for cyber threat detection, reporting, and coordinated response for public and private entities. The team supports law enforcement in cyber-related criminal investigations and collaborates with agencies responsible for advancing information security within state government.
Committed to protecting privacy, civil liberties, and business confidentiality, Cal-CSIC issues Cyber Threat Alerts and Advisories for federal, state, local, tribal, and private sector partners. Analysts collect and analyze phishing emails, document attacker information and Indicators of Compromise (IOCs), and share these IOCs through the California Automated Indicator Exchange, accessible to all partner entities.
Learn more about the California Cyber Security Integration Center