Measuring efficacy of a classroom training week for a cybersecurity training exercise

In this paper we describe the execution and evaluation of a classroom training week for a Red Team/Blue Team military cybersecurity exercise. We give a brief description of the exercise itself, the planning, execution, and the post-event survey results for the classroom training. The design and evaluation of the training is the primary contribution of our research. Evaluation of pre-exercise cybersecurity training for military cybersecurity exercises is not a widely explored area. Large-scale cybersecurity training events such as the one described here are becoming increasingly popular within the military, across governmental organizations, and within the private sector. While there are some significant differences in the scale and execution of a military cybersecurity exercise in comparison to academic events, the lessons-learned from this event can inform military and governmental training exercises, and offer useful insights for any academic organization developing intensive short-term hands-on experiences.