A $1.5 million cybersecurity training and operations center is to open in Louisiana's capital city, Baton Rouge.
The center's long-term objective is to respond to cyber-attacks inflicted on government institutions, schools, and private companies in the Pelican State. However, its immediate purpose will be to support cyber-related missions at major military installations in Louisiana, including Barksdale Air Force Base’s Global Strike Command.
The Louisiana Cyber Coordination Center will be housed in the Water Campus in the city's downtown area. Confirmed tenants so far are the Louisiana National Guard (LANG), Louisiana State University's nonprofit affiliate research company Stephenson Technologies Corp. (STC), and defense contractor Radiance Technologies.
LANG will lease 11,000 square feet of space in the new center, which 40 members will use periodically for training and as a base for cybersecurity operations.
STC and Radiance will sublease 3,000 square feet each from LANG. Each company is expected to hire at least ten new staff members from the local Louisiana talent pool of cybersecurity professionals.
“When I created the Louisiana Cybersecurity Commission in 2017, we established a goal of making Louisiana a leader in this fast-growing field," said Louisiana governor John Bel Edwards. "Our top mission is ensuring the safety of sensitive information for Louisiana’s families, our military, our schools, our health-care facilities, and our private-sector employers. We want everyone’s data and privacy to be safe and secure. So, it’s incumbent upon us to invest in cybersecurity measures that protect our citizens from damaging attacks. Establishing this facility will provide one of the greatest tools for that safety, and it will continue our mission of becoming a global cybersecurity leader.”
“This cyber center is exactly what the Louisiana National Guard and the State of Louisiana needed to facilitate the fulfillment of its cybersecurity mission," said Maj. Gen. Glenn Curtis of the Louisiana National Guard. “Over time, for those who are authorized to use this facility, this cyber center will act as the central civilian interface for coordinating cybersecurity information sharing, performing cybersecurity threat analysis, and promoting shared and real-time situational awareness between and among the public and private sectors.”
To secure the project, the State of Louisiana has agreed to provide $1.5 million through Louisiana Economic Development to build out the existing 11,000 square feet to meet strict government standards and a further $500,000 to support lease payments for up to five years. Other project partners, including the Water Campus, are investing $250,000 for facility operations.