18 year old Cadet Sergeant Alexander Taylor is the first cadet in Durham/Northumberland Wing and one of the first cadets in the Air Cadet Organisation to gain the new Gold Cyber Comms Badge!
Over a week long course, Sergeant Taylor, who was already a qualified silver communicator, had the chance to experience lessons in online security, network protection, including against cyber attacks. He also learnt about the history of cyber warfare and how easy it can be to access digital information and exploit it.
The course took place at No. 1 Radio School at Royal Air Force Cosford. On completing the course, Sergeant Taylor was awarded the ACO’s newest accolade, the Gold Cyber Badge. Alexander was also given a goodie bag full of equipment including a Raspberry Pi, to take home to continue experimenting and learning about cyber communications.
Officer Commanding 1114 Squadron, Flight Lieutenant Aaron O’Roarty commented on Alexander’s success, “We are extremely proud here at 1114 Squadron to have Sergeant Taylor bring home the first Gold Cyber Badge in our Wing and one of the first in North Region! This marks the start of the Squadron’s goal to enable all cadets to learn more and achieve numerous awards in communication. Well done Sergeant Taylor on this fantastic achievement!”