Leaders from education, local, state, and federal government, along with the military, gathered at the University of South Carolina Aiken (USCA) to kick off the largest investment by the South Carolina National Guard (SCNG) since World War II.
The SCNG Cyber Integration Center will be a 26,000 square foot building for cyber defense activities. It will also host training, education, and applied research to support national security. There will also be a Student Readiness Center to provide USCA students mentorships and real-world experience while supporting training for two SCNG units.
“This is actually the culmination of over a decade of planning and preparation and the hard work on this project,” said MG Robin Stilwell, Adjutant General of the SCNG.” “This project represents a $44.8 million investment in Aiken County, but the biggest deal about of all this is the investment that you’re making with our collaborators and with our partners here today. We are so lucky to have so many partners with whom we are working on these projects.”
Among the partners is the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Eisenhower.
MG Ryan Janovic, Commanding General of the Center, said this project compounds what they can achieve in training, education, and innovation in cybersecurity and cyber operations.
“And as you well know, that becomes very important for our national interest. So, while we’re super proud of what we’re currently doing, both at the Cyber Center of Excellence across all of Fort Eisenhower and in partnership with the University of Georgia Cyber Center, that’s almost going to double,” he said. “We look forward to extending the reach, extending the partnership, and furthering our outcomes across the CSRA.”
South Carolina Lt. Gov. Pamela Evette (R) said the world today is vastly different from the one she faced more than 15 years ago as CEO of Quality Business Solutions, a payroll and human resources firm. She said the concern then was someone hacking into their business files.
“Now we look at this in a whole different framework. We look at it as national security,” she said. “It’s protecting our infrastructure, which is why it is so appropriate, the collaboration that we have here between our colleges, our technical colleges, our university here in Aiken, and our military, because you see firsthand the threats that continue to happen across the globe, and why these things become so critical.”
The Cyber Integration Center will be built next to the Savannah River National Laboratory’s Advanced Manufacturing Collaboration, under construction on the USCA campus. The 60,000 square foot facility will provide space for advanced manufacturing research and development while helping launch innovative technologies for the commercial sector.
“I think there’s absolutely no question that we’re going to leverage what will go on in Advanced Manufacturing Collaborative with advanced manufacturing, as well as engineering,” Heimmermann told ABD. “We already have a celebrated cybersecurity program, and having this facility on our campus will enable us to have even more hands-on experiences for our students to make them career-ready on day one.”
Aiken City Manager Stuart Bedenbaugh said that a joint effort by the military, Savannah River Site, and universities will draw key talent to support a robust school system.
“Our public school system, our K-12 system, has worked hard. We’ve always had good academics. To upgrade the brick and mortar, the curb appeal, so to speak, the community recognizes that. And I think Aiken County generally, and Aiken specifically, will continue to be an attractive place for workforce professionals,” he said.
Construction on the SCNG Cyber Integration Center and Readiness Center is expected to be completed in 2026.
