Cyber Bluegrass 2026 Distinguished Visitor Day

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B-roll Description: Kentucky National Guard Hosts Cyber Bluegrass 2026 Distinguished Visitor Day

The Kentucky National Guard hosted a distinguished visitor day at Boone National Guard Center in Frankfort, Kentucky, on Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2026, as part of its Cyber Bluegrass exercise. Cybersecurity professionals, Military leaders from the surrounding states National Guard and local state leaders had the opportunity to meet the personnel participating in the two-week training event and observe how the exercise strengthens cybersecurity readiness and response capabilities.

As cyberattacks continue to threaten government agencies, critical infrastructure and other organizations, exercises like Cyber Bluegrass help prepare personnel to identify, respond to and mitigate cyber threats through collaboration, training and information sharing.

“This training is essential, especially with the cyberattacks we see daily. It allows us to work together, strengthen our capabilities and better prepare to defend against evolving cyber threats,” said Lt. Col. Dayna Sanders, cyber protection manager, Kentucky National Guard.

Cyber Bluegrass is Kentucky's premier cybersecurity training and exercise event, bringing together government, military, and private sector professionals to strengthen our collective cyber resilience.

“Cybersecurity incidents don't respect organizational boundaries," said Sanders. "A significant incident can affect local governments, public safety, critical infrastructure, and the broader community simultaneously."

Having strong relationships and established coordination before those incidents occur is essential.

“Our larger objective is to build a network of capable, trusted partners who can help Kentucky prevent, prepare for, respond to, and recover from significant cyber incidents,” Sanders said. “And the reason we're doing that comes down to a pretty straightforward reality: the cyber threats facing our communities are changing, and we need to change how we prepare for them."

This year, agencies involved included military leaders, elected officials, representatives from state and federal agencies, academic institutions, critical infrastructure partners, and cybersecurity professionals from across the commonwealth.