A delegation of legislators from the Southern Legislative Conference (SLC) traveled to Augusta, Georgia, to visit the Georgia Cyber Center (GCC), the single largest investment to date in a cybersecurity facility by a state government. The GCC is a unique public-private partnership involving the state and federal government, military, academia, law enforcement and private sector. The Center is designed to meet the growing demand for trained cyber security professionals in Georgia, the Savannah River region and across the nation. 

Participants received briefings from representatives of Augusta University and Augusta Technical College, both of which are located on the GCC’s campus and directly involved in providing cyber security education and training programs to students. Delegation members also received a briefing from the special agent in charge of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, who discussed the evolution of crime in cyberspace, and from the director of the Cyber Workforce Academy, which is tasked with developing a cyber security workforce at the GCC.

Participants also toured Fort Gordon in Augusta – home to the U.S. Army Cyber Command, National Security Agency Georgia and the Cyber School of Excellence – which played an integral role in the creation of the GCC and continues to be an important source of economic growth for the Augusta metropolitan area. 

Delegation participants included Representative Manly Barton, Mississippi, chair of SLC’s Economic Development, Transportation and Cultural Affairs Committee; Representative Giovanni Capriglione, Texas; Representative Fredrick J. Love, Arkansas, vice chair of SLC’s Human Services and Public Safety Committee; Senator Kerry Roberts, Tennessee; Senator Wil Schroder, Kentucky; and Senator Ryan Weld, West Virginia.