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Civil Air Patrol National Cyber Academy
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About the Activity Eligibility Requirements How To Apply Financial Support Graduations Requirements Travel
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The Civil Air Patrol National Cyberspace Academy (CNCA) is a collection of cyber security career exploration and training courses. The goal is to increase cyber security knowledge and awareness and to forge a lifelong passion for cyber security. During our summer NCSAs, cadets receive daily briefings from various USAF Cyber Operations units as well as tours of operational facilities. They also receive advanced training in cyber security concepts to help hone their skills for CyberPatriot and other cyber defense competitions. Finally, cadets begin work towards cyber security certifications such as CompTIA's Security+ and Network+, and Cisco's Cisco Certified Network Administrator. The Cyberspace Foundations Course is an introductory course that covers the concepts required to move on to the next level of courses offered by CNCA. These include topics like cyber ethics, Windows OS security, Microsoft Powershell and Command Line usage, Linux OS usage and security, terminal usage, networking concepts, ports, protocols and services, and career opportunities. This course will also jump-start CyberPatriot team members as it increases overall cyber skills. The Cyberspace Networking Course is an intensive week of training based on the CompTIA Network+ and Cisco Certified Network Associate (CCNA) courses. In just five class days, it covers the same content that adult students typically learn over several weeks of classroom instruction. The CNC class provides practical knowledge normally tested by the CompTIA Network+ certification exam, and participants gain hands-on experience using Cisco networking equipment. The course culminates in a graduation exercise which simulates common industry scenarios. The exercise will test the students' newly learned skills in switching, routing, network design and network security in a team setting. The Cyberspace Operations Fundamentals Course, taught by Air National Guard (ANG) instructors, provides a similar experience to what an Air Force member encounters during mission qualification training on the CY-39 Interceptor Platform. In addition to learning about how cyber protection teams hunt, clear, enable hardening, and assess systems, students gained practical experience with network and host analyst tools. The course concludes with a graduation exercise where students connect to the Deployable Interceptor Platform to perform defensive cyberspace operations on a training network facing a simulated attack. Contact for Activity: cnca-va@cap.govWebsite for Activity: https://www.facebook.com/civilairpatrolcyber/ |
Eligibility Requirements: |
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Note: Cadets enrolled in Cadet Wings are not eligible for national activities until they complete the program or are disenrolled. |
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Participants: Cyberspace Foundations Course:
Cyberspace Networking Course:
Cyberspace Operations Fundamentals Course:
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Staff: Cadets: Be selected as a student for a CNCA course at the same location. Identify your desire to serve in a cadet staff role on the cover letter attached to your Eservices application. You can apply directly for both the CNCA course and the Cyberspace Courses Staff, but be sure to choose Cyberspace Courses Staff as your lowest preference in order to preserve the slotting order. The cadets chosen will be cadet superintendent of their respective class. They will be in charge of upholding standards in the classroom and throughout the evening and will be expected to work with the Class Leader to develop and implement study sessions each night. The Class Superintendents must arrive in time to attend Required Staff Training. NOTE: If applying to be an instructor for the Cyber Foundations Course instead of a class superintendent, please send an email to cnca-va@cap.gov in addition to uploading a resume and cover letter through the eServices application. Senior Members: A technician rating in Cadet Programs is desired. Although this is a technical activity, cyber knowledge is not a requirement for all senior staff. Cyber instructors or professionals also are welcome to apply. Positions available: CFC Instructor, CFC Class Leader, CNC Instructor, CNC Class Leader, COFC Class Leader, Safety Officer, Finance Officer, and Admin Officer. Class Leaders will be expected to supervise and participate in their classes during the academic day, and work with the cadet Superintendents to develop targeted study sessions each night for the rest of the students. Additionally, Class Leaders will be responsible for driving their classes to and from the classroom. Preference will be given to those that have at least the equivalent Cyber/IT experience as is requested of the cadet students. Cyber Foundations Course Instructors should be well versed in Windows and Linux usage, command line and terminal usage, networking concepts, cyber ethics, and instructional methodology. Instructors will become familiar with the course material prior to attending CNCA. Safety, Finance and Admin Officers do not require any technical background, but should at least have a CAP driver’s license and a technician rating or higher in their respective specialty track.
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How to Apply |
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Use the "Apply Online" link here or on the ncsas.com homepage to connect you to eServices' Registration and Payment System. Applicants will need to complete the application and upload the following documents in PDF format to the supplemental tab of their eServices application. All staff also must apply via eServices, or they will not receive credit for the activity in their records. For staff applicants, you will be contacted to let you know whether you have been selected. Applications will be accepted from 1 December to the date the activity starts. To be considered for priority placement status, the completed application including supplemental documents must be submitted by 15 January. Applications submitted after 15 January are accepted but are marked "late" and will be considered AFTER all applications submitted before the deadline. Priority timelines do not apply to staff applications. In addition, accomplish the following: |
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Participants: CNC and COFC applicants will attach both a resume and cover letter. CNC applicants must upload a resume that shows Civil Air Patrol and school/work experience, as well as a cover letter that explains what prerequisite course is being used to apply, and what you have done in cyber so far. COFC applicants must upload a resume that shows Civil Air Patrol and school experience, as well as all cyber related activities and courses completed, as well as a cover letter that explains your desire to attend COFC, and what being selected would mean to you. |
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Staff: Cadets: Identify your desire to serve on staff in your cover letter. If applying to be an instructor for the Cyber Foundations Course, please send an email to cnca-va@cap.gov in addition to uploading a resume and cover letter through the eServices application. Senior Members: Please send an email to cnca-va@cap.gov detailing which positions you are volunteering for in addition to uploading a detailed resume and cover letter through the eServices application. |
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Important Information: Use the following course numbers to verify you are selecting the correct activity in the eServices “Preferences” tab of your application. Activities appear alphabetically, but will have the course number next to them in the tab. You can download a sortable spreadsheet on the ncsas.com homepage for a complete listing of activity preference numbers. If you can't see the course number on your device, try changing the zoom on the page. |
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Financial Support: |
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Go to the eServices CadetInvest Module and apply for Cadet Lift and Take-Off Program Cadet (TOP), to be considered for needs-based financial assistance or NCSA scholarships. Also apply for flight scholarships. These programs are designed to offset costs associated with attending some NCSAs, as well as flight academies. They include payment of your activity fees and transportation to and from the activity. Go to the CadetInvest pages for more details. Deadline to apply for scholarships and financial assistance is 15 January. Being offered financial assistance is not a guarantee of acceptance into an activity. You must compete for and receive a slot at an activity. You will be notified if you are a recipient of financial aid/scholarship before you are required to accept or decline a slot at an activity. |
