When U.S. Cyber Command simulated a cyberattack against a seaport last month, military personnel hunted for adversaries who appeared to be using malware against a critical trade hub. The exercise, which included 650 participants from the Five Eyes and throughout the U.S. government, split personnel into 20 offensive and defensive teams. Members from the U.S. Coast Guard also did an exercise to run through how they would respond to a real cyberattack on a port, Rear Adm. John Mauger, Cyber Command’s director of exercises and training, told reporters in a briefing. Cyber Command’s focus in this simulation exemplifies how, a decade after being established, and one year after achieving combatant command status, the military unit is training its troops to meet its new operational strategy, known as “persistent engagement.” Shannon Vavra has more.

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CompTIA, White House promise 625,000 worker certifications by 2024

The Computing Technology Industry Association pledged to certify 625,000 workers in IT skills by 2024, citing hundreds of thousands of job vacancies, at a White House meeting on Monday. A nonprofit trade association that runs “vendor neutral” training programs, CompTIA estimates tech jobs account for 8 percent of the nation’s workforce — one in every 13 positions — with the $1.8 trillion industry adding 1.9 million posts since 2010. And continued growth is expected. CompTIA CEO Todd Thibodeaux signed the Pledge to America’s Workers along with Michael Kratsios, deputy assistant to the president for technology policy, and Christopher Liddell, deputy chief of staff for policy coordination. Dave Nyczepir has more.

How Michigan is becoming the model for building a cyber workforce

To better recruit cybersecurity talent, there needs to be effective collaboration between state agencies, the public and private sectors and education. Sarah Tennant, strategic adviser of cyber initiatives for the Michigan Economic Development Corporation, writes in an op-ed that Michigan serves as a shining example of how to set up that collaboration. It’s large footprint in high-tech automotive, manufacturing and defense industries provides a deep pool of engineering and information technology talent that is ready to develop into the next generation of cybersecurity specialists. Read more about Michigan here.

Virginia forms STEM education commission to tackle workforce issues

Michigan isn't the only state upping its game. Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed an executive order last week creating an advisory group that will design the future of STEM education in the commonwealth. The commission is tasked with developing “a unified statewide vision and dynamic set of shared goals to strategically inform how we prepare Virginia’s students for the STEM jobs of the future,” according to the governor’s office. The commission is also tasked with encouraging collaboration between government and private sectors to track state data, inform local policy and shape future curriculum and course design. It will also recommend new ways for public-private partnerships to obtain grant funding that can be used to “enhance” programs and services for Virginia’s children, “particularly those at higher risk.” Colin Wood has more.

WATCH: Peace Corps' Traci Dimartini: Government is for those 'who want to make things better'

Peace Corps Chief Human Capital Officer Traci Dimartini explains how anyone who wants to get into public services needs to look no further than the federal government for a wildly fulfilling career. Watch the full segment here.