AUGUSTA, Ga. (WJBF) – Thursday was the fourth and final day of Augusta’s TechNet conference.

Leaders from the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon held a panel discussion about what they’ve been working on.

The Cyber Center of Excellence trains and educates signal, cyber, and electronic warfare professionals.

People in attendance had the chance to ask military leaders questions about the cyber center’s progress, initiatives, goals, and more.

Some topics covered include how they’re trying to further cyber security and artificial intelligence education. 

“We just need to be intuitive. We’re growing generations of folks that know how to use electronic devices, they should have the same look and feel on the devices that we provide in order to conduct combat operations,” said  Maj. Gen. Paul Stanton, the CCoE Commanding General.

And some of this education, began this year in the K-12 curriculum at Columbia County schools.

“A lot of our younger kids have iPhones, or androids, but do they understand how they work?” said Johanna Clyborne, the Asst. Deputy CCoE Commanding General. “Those types of education opportunities help create for us, a greater opportunity down the road and a long term investment in the workforce that understands those emerging technologies that we need them to.”

The TechNet Conference is a way for the cyber center to showcase what it does, while also gaining support from community partners.

“The fact is the military can’t do it by itself, the government can’t do it by itself, it has to be a cooperation between the education forms, the industry, and the government together,” Asst. Deputy Clyborne said.

Panelists remember what Fort Gordon was like before the cyber center.

“25 years ago, starting out here in sleepy Fort Gordon as a signal soldier, I’ve come back over the years for iterative training, and I’ve seen it really grow from what it was, into this vibrant soon-to-be Fort Eisenhower that we have now,” said Chief Warrant Officer 5 Paul Sankey, the CCoE Command Chief Warrant Officer.

Chief Warrant Officer Sankey said the main goal of all projects within the center is national security. 

“There is a workforce shortage in signal and cyber type jobs, even beyond the military, beyond the government, and we need to make sure the United States is fully secured for our future,” he said.

Those leaders are working on expanding that cyber curriculum to Richmond County schools next, and then into other surrounding counties.