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Johns Hopkins APL Team Applies Expertise to Homeland Defense Wargame
Representatives from more than 50 public and private sector organizations took part in the Vista Gladiator homeland defense wargame in January, held at Johns Hopkins APL and sponsored by the Joint Chiefs of Staff in partnership with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).
Credit Johns Hopkins APL/Craig Weiman
A team from the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory (APL) in Laurel, Maryland, played a central role in a recent Defense Department wargame that addressed the challenges of protecting logistics infrastructure against growing adversarial threats.
Held at APL and sponsored by the Joint Chiefs of Staff, in partnership with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM), the weeklong Vista Gladiator wargame in January examined the dependence of military critical infrastructure on the private sector, as well as the coordination needed among the military, government agencies and industry partners to secure logistics operations from emerging threats.
Representatives from more than 50 public and private sector organizations took part in the game, outlining ways to prepare for and respond to a range of potential challenges, including adversary threats to infrastructure and supply chains as well as extreme weather events. A main objective was to ensure the agility and survivability of joint force systems, personnel and operations, focusing on such capabilities as supply, maintenance, deployment and distribution, engineering and contracting.
APL expertise was integral to enhancing the technical, scientific and operational realism of the game, including the Lab’s insights on the national security aspects of transportation, food and agriculture, all-hazards and climatological effects, and counter-information operations.
“Homeland defense has become even more critical as the threats have come to our shores in recent years,” said Liz Parkin, manager of the Resilient Critical Infrastructure program in APL’s Homeland Defense Mission Area. “APL can help frame critical challenges from many angles and through the eyes of many military and government sponsors, in ways they may not be able to see from within their own organizations.”
Parkin explained that because the military relies on privately owned infrastructure — think cyber networks, financial systems, utilities, public health and transportation — the game’s scenarios were designed to assess disruption to such infrastructure, especially in ways an adversary might capitalize on vulnerabilities, exploit natural disasters, and create uncertainty and contention among U.S. forces and the public.
Vista Gladiator successfully called attention to gaps in authorities, priorities and funding among partners, Parkin added, and revealed actions for improving national coordination across public and private sectors. This includes planning for the security of vulnerable populations and the impact of that work on the overall response.
“This exercise allows us to practice, explore lines of authority and get problems in front of the right people,” said Air Force Maj. Gen. Constance Jenkins, who heads the Logistics and Engineering Directorate for NORAD-NORTHCOM. “I like to call Vista Gladiator an exercise in ‘contested logistics’; we must be able to defend the nation’s and continent’s critical infrastructure, move commodities and respond to threats in the homeland.”
Johns Hopkins APL team members who participated in Vista Gladiator included (from left) Lauren Ice, Kristine Henry, Liz Parkin and Collin Timm, joined here by Brian Hall, deputy foreign policy adviser with the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) and U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM).
Credit Johns Hopkins APL/Craig Weiman
APL’s Homeland Defense Mission Area has overseen the Laboratory’s growing role in the annual Vista Gladiator exercise, including an invitation from NORAD and USNORTHCOM to participate in next year’s game. In recent years, mission area staff have contributed such skills as digital wargaming analytics and modeling and simulation analysis. APL also recently supported another NORAD and USNORTHCOM wargame, Vista Rampart, focused on missile defense of the homeland.
Homeland Defense Mission Area Executive Andy Oak said key insights from this year’s game will help inform planning for operational investments, policies and plans across public and private partners, representing a coordinated “whole-of-nation” approach.
“APL is honored to work as a partner with NORAD and USNORTHCOM to strengthen these essential relationships and capabilities,” Oak said. “The Lab is focused on mission impact for our sponsors, and these wargames are enhancing our ability to make enduring impacts for the nation and for the warfighters protecting the homeland.”
As part of APL’s advisory role in the wargame, two participants from the Laboratory’s team presented talks on central topics. Analyst Collin Timm presented on food security as national security, covering how the nation’s food and agriculture critical infrastructure comprises 20% of U.S. economic activity and is dependent on water, transportation, energy and chemical infrastructures.
Cyber operations engineer Kristine Henry delivered a briefing on countering information warfare for homeland defense, as foreign adversaries are threatening to use more information campaigns across the U.S., such as to exploit and complicate the damage from natural disasters.
Oak said Vista Gladiator was an illustrative reminder of why APL created the Homeland Defense Mission Area in 2023: to convene partners across the public and private sectors and help the nation focus on protecting critical infrastructure sectors like electricity, water and transportation that are essential to military and civilian security and response. Mission area staff develop cutting-edge solutions to defend the homeland and infrastructure from increasingly diverse, sophisticated threats, in support of major sponsors including the Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security and others.