AFA Welcomes Raytheon as CyberPatriot Strategic Partner

ARLINGTON, Va., May 10 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Air Force Association (AFA) today announced that the Raytheon Company (NYSE: RTN) has joined AFA's initiative to build The National High School Cyber Defense Competition named CyberPatriot.

CyberPatriot is entering its second year as a national program and is expanding rapidly because of its unique model.  It combines online education and preliminary competition rounds delivered over the internet, proceeding to in-person finals held in conjunction with AFA National Symposia.  The just-completed CyberPatriot II Pilot National Deployment, with nearly 200 Civil Air Patrol (CAP) and Air Force Junior ROTC (AFJROTC) teams in 44 states, was the largest simultaneous high school cyber defense competition ever conducted.  The goal for the 2010-2011 school year is 1,000 teams in two parallel divisions (500 CAP/JROTCs of all Services in the "All-Service" Division and 500 non-JROTC schools in the "Open" Division).

Raytheon is a technology and innovation leader specializing in defense, homeland security and other government markets throughout the world.  For years the company has been dedicated to finding new ways to help secure the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pipeline for the future.  

"We are proud to join the AFA in creating the National High School Cyber Defense Competition," said Thomas Culligan, Raytheon's Executive Vice President of Business Development and CEO of Raytheon International Inc.  "By engaging students today in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math activities such as CyberPatriot, we can help to meet our common goal of encouraging the next generation of technologist and innovators."

"This commitment distinguishes Raytheon as an exceptionally responsible corporate citizen with the vision and stewardship to address this critical national security issue," said Mike Dunn, AFA's President and CEO.  

"We are extremely grateful to have the talent, expertise, and energy of Raytheon adding momentum to the CyberPatriot program," said S. Sanford Schlitt, Vice Chairman of AFA's Board of Directors for Aerospace Education.  "They are helping to make a significant positive impact on cyber security now and into the future."

Registration for the next round of the CyberPatriot will begin later this spring, with a series of online qualification rounds scheduled for next fall.  The competition features an in-person twelve-team All-Service championship round February 18th in Orlando, Florida, in conjunction with AFA's annual Air Warfare Symposium.  The top Service teams from that round, along with twelve finalist teams from the Open Division will advance to the National Championship at the Gaylord National resort in National Harbor, Maryland, for the CyberPatriot Championship in conjunction with AFA's CyberFutures Symposium and Technology Exhibition, 31 March - 2 April 2011.

AFA is a 501(c)(3), nonprofit organization promoting public understanding of aerospace power and the pivotal role it plays in the security of the nation. AFA has over 200 chapters nationally and internationally representing nearly 120,000 members. Visit AFA www.AFA.org.

SOURCE Air Force Association