Parsons to Facilitate Three-Day NSA Cyber Competition

Parsons announced that it will support an upcoming military cyber competition hosted by the National Security Agency.

The NSA Cyber Exercise is a year-long program that culminates in a three-day competition involving military academies, military service college students and NSA employees in development programs. The last leg of NCX will be held virtually from March 31 to April 2, Parsons said Wednesday.

The NSA held the inaugural NCX competition in 2018 at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. The 2021 iteration was also held virtually following a 2020 cancellation due to coronavirus restrictions, according to the NSA/Central Security Service website.

For the upcoming competition, Parsons said it will develop, facilitate and score five modules reflecting university-level education. The modules will cover cryptography, malware, software development, cyber policy, cyber combat and other topics relevant to the NSA’s modern-day mission.

Parsons added that the participants will tackle real-world scenarios and complete unclassified cyber operations in real time. 

The competition is expected to enhance the participants’ teamwork, planning, communication, critical thinking and decision-making, the company said.

Nicholas Jackson, vice president of Parsons’ cyber business, said that the competition will challenge the real-world competency of the next generation of cyber professionals. 

According to the NSA website, the participating service academies are the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Coast Guard Academy, U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, U.S. Military Academy and the U.S. Naval Academy. 

The Citadel, Virginia Military Institute, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, University of North Georgia, Norwich University, and Texas A&M University senior military colleges will also participate.