Cyber Shield is now in its eighth year and taking place through April 20 at Camp Atterbury in Indiana.

The deal, under which Washington state's Air National Guard penetration tested the computer network of a state-owned utility, took two years to put together and could be replicated nationwide.

The Maryland National Guard wants to work with the cybersecurity industry to jointly recruit online warriors who could be activated for military duty in place at their civilian employers, the head of the state's Air National Guard​ Cyber Operations Group​ said.