Fort Gordon’s commanding general told business and civic leaders Wednesday that the people on his base are supporting Ukraine in its war against Russia.
Brig. Gen. Paul Stanton told the leaders that Russia has been hacking into the Ukrainian government’s network and causing havoc as part of Russia’s 15-day war against Ukraine. Stanton gave an example of Russians hacking border guard computers and causing lines of refugees at the borders to slow their exodus.
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“Supporting Ukraine happens from Fort Gordon,” Stanton told members of the Leadership Augusta and Leadership Columbia County, who toured the base Wednesday.
Stanton gave a brief overview of the intelligence gathering units, such as a brigade dedicated to analyzing aerial imagery, and the National Security Agency facility on post and how those units support America’s missions. He discussed in vague terms how trained cyber soldiers, airmen, Navy cryptologists and their civilian teammates work as defenders, and when authorized, act as nation state hackers to attack hackers working for Russia.
“Our cyber force is our version of nation state hackers. Defend and attack,” Stanton said. “We do that on Fort Gordon.”
The leadership groups from Augusta and Columbia County are part of a chamber of commerce program aimed at teaching young leaders about issues in the region, including the activities on Fort Gordon and how the mission there impacts the community.
While Stanton focused on how soldiers are trained and how the NSA and supporting units fight in the cyber domain, the garrison commander, Col. Shaw Pick, focused his briefing on the impact Fort Gordon has on the local economy.
Pick said Fort Gordon contributes about $2.7 billion to the local economy. He also spoke about the $2 billion in construction going on around Fort Gordon, including the nearly $1 billion college-like campus under construction that will replace Signal Towers.
“You can see construction is moving pretty full steam,” Pick said.
The Leadership Augusta and Leadership Columbia County participants also learned how to fire M-16 rifles in a training facility that uses lasers instead of live ammunition. They also practiced rolling over in an armored vehicle.
But for at least one leadership participant, the most memorable part of the tour was learning how military and civilians on Fort Gordon are defending cyber networks and attacking enemy hackers.
“I feel safer knowing the measures they take to ensure our safety,” said Chashawna Wesby, a school counselor at Cross Creek High School who attended the tour. “They do a great job here on Fort Gordon.”
Joshua B. Good is a staff reporter covering Columbia County and military/veterans’ issues for The Augusta Press. Reach him at joshua@theaugustapress.com
