From staff reports
On Tuesday, March 19, Brig. Gen. Will Wilburn of the U.S. Marine Corps, who serves as Deputy Commander of Marine Cyber Forces out of Fort Meade, Md., engaged with John Paul II Catholic School students eager to learn more about cyber security.
His mission? To inspire and educate the next generation of cyber warriors. Brigadier Gen. Wilburn visited the school while in the Lowcountry collaborating at the 3rd Annual South Coast Cyber Summit.
“Some folks don’t want us to have the freedoms that we enjoy and our way of life,” Wilburn told the students. “We find ourselves in a new fight in cyber. It’s a cognitive fight. We have gone from wars that were fought with brawn and now they are fought with brain.”
He told the students his visit was not a recruitment pitch; it was a mission to enlighten, inform, and, above all, inspire young minds. Wilburn urged them to grasp the importance of cyber security in today’s ever-evolving, fast-paced world.
“China is our greatest rival,” he said. “They are committed to challenging us economically, militarily, and in the information world. It is our job to protect all that we hold dear. To fight them in cyber, I need folks like you, and we need cyber security taught in schools like here at JPII.”
In a mere four years’ time, Wilburn said the geopolitical tensions between Taiwan and China could come to a head.
“We need you onboard with us,” he said. “You are digital natives who are comfortable using Artificial Intelligence. We are trying to build a world class team, and you will make us much better.”
He emphasized that curiosity brought him to cyber security and being on the cusp of what is the next big thing on the battlefield.
“Today, cyber, AI, machine learning, and quantum computing are the next big things. We must be concerned with deep fakes and disinformation, which we see already,” he said. “Be vigilant – use basic cyber hygiene, change your passwords. Be careful about what you click on. The adversary is very deceptive.”
Ben Villalobos, a JPII senior, asked if it was more advantageous to be on the offensive side in battle or on the defensive side.
“That is one of the smartest questions I have ever been asked. Did your teacher tell you to ask that?” Wilburn asked, smiling.
He then had Villalobos, acting as the U.S., stand on the fourth step of the bleachers while he, as the enemy, stood on the floor.
“Now, if I wanted to get past him to that back wall, who would have the advantage?” he asked the students. A few answered that in this scenario, Villalobos had the advantage due to his high ground. “Yes,” Wilburn said, “but we absolutely need to be on both.”
Wilburn warned that we are not in a fair fight, and we need every man and woman in this contest.
“We are not falling behind – they are excelling. We were being ethical by following the rules of our society. They close the gap using nefarious means. They steal our intellectual property. They are hungry just like we are. I appeal to your patriotism. We need smart people!”
About Brig. Gen. Will Wilburn, USMC
Brig. Gen. Will Wilburn is a graduate of Kennesaw State (Ga.) University, Army Command and Staff College, and the National War College; and he was a Commandant of the Marine Corps Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He has two undergraduate degrees and six masters degrees.
Wilburn has served in a variety of command and staff intelligence assignments within the U.S. Marine Corps. He has also served at the National Security Agency, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, Defense Intelligence Agency, U.S. Cyber Command, and commanded the Joint Intelligence Center, U.S. Central Command.
Disciplined in both his personal and professional life, he works at keeping himself sharp and on task by rising early, catching up on global developments, and exercising prior to sitting at his desk by 6:45 a.m. His day is then spent safeguarding the nation’s cyber borders and fortifying her defenses. One of his favorite pastimes is working on multiple jigsaw puzzles at once.
