Building the next generation of cyber leaders

The Capacity Building Initiative fosters informed users of technology, equipped with the expertise and relationships needed to responsibly advance cyber policy and navigate digital challenges. This is made possible through our global offering of competitions, trainings, and simulations, tailored to meet the needs of practitioners and students drawn from across academia, government and civil society.

Competitions

Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge

The Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge is an annual cyber policy and strategy competition where students from across the globe compete in developing policy recommendations tackling a fictional cyber catastrophe.

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Capacity Building Initiative

Blog Post Dec 20, 2024

In it to win it: Understanding cyber policy through a simulated crisis 

Competitors and judges from the Cape Town Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge share their perspectives on the competition’s impact on the African cybersecurity landscape.

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Capacity Building Initiative

Capacity Building Initiative May 7, 2024

Lessons learned from the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge

By Sara Mishra, Hannah Dora Patterson, Ethan Moscot, and Andrew Vu

Students from Tufts University tell us their greatest lessons learned from competing in the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge.

Cybersecurity
Capacity Building Initiative

Capacity Building Initiative Nov 20, 2024

Seizing the win: Navigating competition and hands-on learning through Cyber 9/12 

By Safa Shahwan Edwards and Emerson Johnston

Competitors and judges from the inaugural Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge in Costa Rica share their perspectives on how to leverage teamwork and interdisciplinary skills to address tomorrow’s cyber challenges.

Cybersecurity Latin America

Trainings

Congressional Cyber and Digital Policy Program

Open to full time Congressional staffers, this program covers key cybersecurity and digital policy issues.

Events

Public Event Mon, July 31, 2023 • 1:00 pm ET

The National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy: Unleashing America’s cyber talent

An in-depth discussion on the opportunities, goals, and anticipated challenges with the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy.
Cybersecurity Education Future of Work United States and Canada

Articles

Capacity Building Initiative

Oct 22, 2025

Cyber policy in action: A glimpse into the 2025 DC Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge

By Michelle Jin and Safa Shahwan Edwards

Competitors and judges from the 2025 Washington, DC Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge share their perspectives on the competition’s role in cyber workforce development.

Cybersecurity

Blog Post

Dec 20, 2024

In it to win it: Understanding cyber policy through a simulated crisis 

By Safa Shahwan Edwards and Emerson Johnston

Competitors and judges from the Cape Town Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge share their perspectives on the competition’s impact on the African cybersecurity landscape.

Cybersecurity
South Africa

Capacity Building Initiative

Nov 20, 2024

Seizing the win: Navigating competition and hands-on learning through Cyber 9/12 

By Safa Shahwan Edwards and Emerson Johnston

Competitors and judges from the inaugural Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge in Costa Rica share their perspectives on how to leverage teamwork and interdisciplinary skills to address tomorrow’s cyber challenges.

Cybersecurity
Latin America

The 5×5

Oct 23, 2024

The 5×5—The evolving role of CISOs and senior cybersecurity executives

By Nitansha Bansal

For this Cybersecurity Awareness Month, senior cybersecurity executives share their insights into the evolution of their roles.

Cybersecurity

Capacity Building Initiative

May 7, 2024

Lessons learned from the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge

By Sara Mishra, Hannah Dora Patterson, Ethan Moscot, and Andrew Vu

Students from Tufts University tell us their greatest lessons learned from competing in the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge.

Cybersecurity

The 5×5

Feb 28, 2024

The 5×5—Alumni perspectives on Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge

By Nitansha Bansal, Isabella Wright

Alumni of Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge share their experiences, and discuss the impact of such simulated exercises to prepare for real life cyber attacks.

Cybersecurity

The 5×5

Nov 29, 2023

The 5×5—Veteran perspectives on cyber workforce development

By Simon Handler, Nitansha Bansal

In honor of National Military Veterans and Families Month, a group of veterans discuss their transitions from the military to the cyber workforce and suggest ways to improve the process for others. 

Cybersecurity
National Security

Report

Sep 14, 2022

Dragon tails: Preserving international cybersecurity research

By Stewart Scott, Sara Ann Brackett, Yumi Gambrill, Emmeline Nettles, Trey Herr

A quantitative study on whether legal context can impact the supply of vulnerability research with detrimental effects for cybersecurity writ large through the coordinated vulnerability disclosure process (CVD), using recent regulations in China as a case study.

China
Cybersecurity

Blog Post

Dec 3, 2020

Why we fight: Learning from the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge

By Robert Carolina

Competitors finish the Cyber 9/12 Strategy Challenge better prepared to communicate their ideas, better prepared to address the complex threat-filled environment presented by modern cybersecurity, and better prepared to contribute new ideas and new thinking that may someday help to reduce the risks of unnecessary conflict carried out through the cyber domain. These are all good reasons to compete.

Cybersecurity
Defense Policy

Capacity Building Initiative

Apr 8, 2020

Learning on the fly through Cyber 9/12

By Jocelyn Murray, Andrew Milligan, David Mendez, and Puneet Singh

In the rapidly changing climate of cybersecurity today, the field is about far more than technical lessons and education. For our team, Cyber 9/12 opened brand new doors in the cyber policy and strategy space.

Cybersecurity

Team

Staff

Safa Shahwan Edwards

Director, Capacity Building & Communities

Cyber Statecraft Initiative

Cybersecurity Spanish

Staff

Morgan McMurray

Associate Director, Capacity Building

Cyber Statecraft Initiative

Cybersecurity Digital Policy

Former staff

Alexander Beatty

Former Assistant Director

Cyber Statecraft Initiative

Staff

Urmita Chowdhury

Assistant Director, Trainings and Competitions

Cyber Statecraft Initiative

Bengali Cybersecurity

The Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, part of the Atlantic Council Technology Programs, works at the nexus of geopolitics and cybersecurity to craft strategies to help shape the conduct of statecraft and to better inform and secure users of technology.

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