Above from left to right: Midshipmen Martin Hunley-Bota, Anastasya Sergojan, and Zane Amundsen, the USMMA class of 2021 IWP Excellence in Cyber Statecraft Awardees.
The Institute of World Politics is pleased to present the United States Merchant Marine Academy Class of 2021 IWP Award For Excellence in Cyber Statecraft to three outstanding Midshipmen who are graduating from Kings Point this year: Martin Hunley-Bota, Anastasya Sergojan, and Zane Amundsen.
These Midshipmen were selected for their outstanding contributions and understanding of Cyber intelligence and security while studying at the Academy. Each was a member of the Midshipman Project that scored the highest grade in the USMMA Maritime Security Research course given by Capt. John Helmick, USMS and Professor Tim McLellan of the Maritime Business Department. The Midshipmen focused on researching, analyzing, evaluating, and developing solutions to mitigate the security risks to maritime operations and supply chains posed by combined physical attacks and cyberattacks (information technology–IT and operational technology–OT) on vessels, facilities, and critical transportation infrastructure.
Although IWP representatives will not be able to attend the Kings Point commencement activities this year due to COVID restrictions, the award recipients were recognized in a private ceremony, and each received a certificate and cash award. The awardees will graduate and be commissioned on Saturday, June 12th, 2021.
Midshipman Zane Amundsen also completed his USMMA internship with IWP Senior Cyber Advisor Dean Lane in the summer of 2020. During this time, he completed an Artificial Intelligence course and received a certificate of completion while simultaneously conducting extensive research on the Intelligence Community and its methods, primarily focused on threat prevention by combining Cyber technology and Intelligence practices.
IWP Senior Advisor for Cyber Intelligence Dean Lane and Senior Vice President Chris Glass jointly commented: “Congratulations to graduating class of 2021 winners. As officers entering the Maritime service of our nation, you are well prepared because of what you have learned at Kings Point. The cyber perimeter is becoming increasingly difficult to enforce because there is no perfect defense. We are confident of a vibrant and strong force in both Peace and War where officers and maritime professionals like you will be part of the country’s ability to provide superior security services.”
This award is part of an enduring partnership between IWP’s Cyber Intelligence Initiative (Ci2) and Kings Point. It is presented each year to the outstanding graduates who have demonstrated superior excellence and initiative in cyber statecraft studies while at USMMA.
See more here: https://www.usmma.edu/
IWP and the United States Merchant Marine Academy at Kings Point