Advisors Assemble to Move Beyond Collaboration

As 2025 drew to a close, senior cyber leaders, practitioners, and scholars gathered to discuss their continuing support for the American military cyber community. 

On the 18th of December, the leadership of the Military Cyber Professionals Association (MCPA) gathered for their 9th Annual Advisors Dinner Meeting. As Amanda Mason of the MCPA Board of Directors stated during the event’s opening, this lively event serves as an opportunity for reconnecting with each other, getting refreshed on organizational updates, and recognizing top contributors.

The historic walls of The Army and Navy Club in downtown Washington, D.C. provided a fitting backdrop for the many former and current military leaders that met to share their passion for this mission space and the warfighters engaged in it. Enabled by a larger venue and reflecting the upward trajectory of the organization, a number of aspects were incorporated into the event for the first time including spouses, presentation of guidons to chapters, Cyber Bourbon auction, and guest speakers.

Numerous MCPA accomplishments from the past year were highlighted including the growth of the HammerCon national convention (now hosted at the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Laboratory (APL)), the ignition of nationwide activity facilitated by a new Director of Chapter Affairs (Lieutenant Colonel Brian Morgan), legislative impacts like occupational resiliency of the cyber mission force entering into law, and announcement of a partnership with the Armed Forces and Communications Association (AFCEA). New initiatives were also unveiled, like a military cyber law project led by Colonel (Ret) Gary Corn (former Staff Judge Advocate (SJA) of U.S. Cyber Command), inaugural monograph published by the Military Cyber Institute (MCI), and establishment of the 91st Cyber Brigade Association (91CBA) to better institutionalize support and integration of military cyber professionals in the National Guard.

The meeting night boasted a variety of notable speakers including retired Vice Admiral TJ White (the Chairman of the MCPA Board of Advisors, inaugural Director of the Texas Cyber Command, and former Commander of the Cyber National Mission Force and 10th Fleet). His remarks ended with a reminder of the importance of organizations moving beyond the celebration of collaboration alone without taking action as a team. As the MCPA begins 2026, there is plenty of action in the works. With the 5th HammerCon taking place in September 2026, each table brainstormed on its theme and then shared with the broader audience. The 2025 theme, “Winning Together: Innovation - Inspiration - Initiative”, leaves big shoes to fill for the upcoming milestone year.

The evening program concluded with a speech by the Honorable Katherine Sutton, who serves as the Assistant Secretary of War (ASW) for Cyber Policy and the Principal Cyber Advisor (PCA) to the Secretary of War (SECWAR). Her longtime contributions to the American military cyber community were highlighted by MCPA Founder, Dr. Joe Billingsley, and further reinforced by Chris Cleary noting her inclusion of the MCPA in her official biography. 

She stated, "In the cyber domain, the decisive weapon is not the tool, but the trained and experienced military cyber professional who wields it. CYBERCOM 2.0 is purpose-built to cultivate that mastery, ensuring our warfighters have the career-long support needed to stay at the cutting edge of digital conflict." After outlining the changes coming to U.S. Cyber Command with CYBERCOM 2.0, she demonstrated a commitment to those doing the work with recognition of her Senior Enlisted Advisor, Chief Master Sergeant Bryan Neumann.

The MCPA will enter 2026 with the ever-watchful leadership of National President Chris Cleary. He shared that “The MCPA is proud to stand with the Honorable Sutton as she leads the Department to implement CYBERCOM 2.0 and supports any effort that increases the warfighting capability of America’s military cyber professionals.” In closing the evening, he emphasized his appreciation for the passion of all in the room and looked forward to helping the organization think about and pursue strategic goals over the horizon in the new year. 

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