The Olson Group, Ltd. (OGL) was the prime contractor for a multi-year exercise contract with the Commonwealth of Virginia. OGL was responsible for the development, logistics, conduct and evaluation of regional and statewide exercises addressing the full range of natural and man-made hazards. There was a minimum of seven regional and one statewide exercise each year under this program. For 2015 and 2016, OGL supported the planning, conduct and evaluation of two Cyber Guard exercises for VDEM. As part of this program OGL assisted in the development, conduct, and evaluation of a Tabletop Exercise in June 2015 for over 150 participants, followed up by a Functional Exercise in June 2016. These exercises were conducted in conjunction with the DHS Cyber Guard exercise that occurred nationwide.
The purpose of the exercises was to provide an environment to validate information sharing mechanisms, resource allocation and augmentation processes, and other plans and procedures during a widespread series of cyber incidents. The exercises included the Virginia Department of Emergency Management, State Police, Fusion Center, Military Affairs, and other public and private partners. The functional exercise simulated attacks on public and private cyber domains and systems and their cascading effects.
OGL assisted in the development of a comprehensive evaluation and improvement plan that provided focus and strategies for enhanced coordination and communication between stakeholders to improve disaster response within the Commonwealth of Virginia.