Applications are now being accepted through October 23, 2018 for the AU student teams that will compete in the 2019 Cyber 9/12 Strategic Challenge, which will be held in Washington, DC in March 2019. Established in 2013 in a partnership between The Atlantic Council and AU’s School of International Service, this event is the premier international affairs simulation in which students develop policy options in a dynamic international crisis scenario that has a strong cyber element. Faculty Fellow Dr. Eric Novotny leads the AU student teams.

The Cyber 9/12 Strategic Challenge aims to:

Encourage and educate the next generation of foreign policy leaders in cybersecurity issues
Provide a structured event where technical, legal, and policy issues are combined
Create networking and career development opportunities for students
Expose students in a realistic policy crisis to the top decision makers in government and in the cybersecurity industry

Applications may be submitted to usfp [at] american [dot] edu with the subject line “Cyber 912 Application” by October 23, 2018 with the following:

• A one-page personal statement about why you are interested in Cyber 9/12

• Current CV

• Names of one or more faculty members who know your work

• Names of other students applying with whom you would like to work

• Acknowledge that you are a registered student at AU in good standing and that you will be available next semester for the preparation activities and the event.

Cyber 9/12 is an annual cyberpolicy competition for students across the globe to compete in developing national security policy recommendations tackling a fictional cyber catastrophe. This one-of-a-kind student competition is designed to help students across academic disciplines understand the implications of cyberspace crisis and conflict. Teams are comprised of four students who take on the roles of staffers responsible for briefing the National Security Council with policy recommendations in response to a fictional growing crisis. The teams’ presentations are then evaluated by a panel of distinguished experts in the field.

Students have the unique opportunity to interact with expert mentors and prominent professionals in the field while developing valuable skills in policy analysis and presentation. In the past five years, the competition has engaged over 700 students from universities in the United States, United Kingdom, France, United Arab Emirates, Poland, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Sweden, Finland, and Estonia. The Cyber 9/12 Challenge has taken place in Washington, DC; Geneva, Switzerland; Sydney, Australia; New York City; and London.

In Washington, DC, in partnership with AU SIS, student teams confront a major cybersecurity breach of national and international importance. Teams compose policy recommendations and justify their decision-making process. They consider the role and implications for relevant civilian, military, law enforcement, and private sector entities and are tasked with updating their recommendations as the scenario evolves.