The first regional competition of the ION 2010 Mini-Urban Challenge was held January 30-31 in Bossier City, LA. 19 teams and over 100 students competed, making this the largest regional competition to date.

The United States is fighting a cyber-war today, and we are losing. It's that simple. As the most wired nation on Earth, we offer the most targets of significance, yet our cyber-defenses are woefully lacking.

The problem is not one of resources; even in our current fiscal straits, we can afford to upgrade our defenses. The problem is that we lack a cohesive strategy to meet this challenge.

Jindal led the parade of dignitaries at the two-stage ceremony that started under at a tent set up at the boundary of the center's 64 acres just east of Bossier Parish Community College, then moved inside the college's Culinary School building.

The groundbreaking marked the start of construction of the Cyber Innovation Center, anchor of what now is being called the National Cyber Research Park. The first building, a 120,000-square-foot structure, should be completed by October 2009. 

Craig Spohn, executive director of Cyber Innovation Center, grew up in Bossier City. The son of a non-commissioned officer who was assigned to Barksdale Air Force Base, Spohn spent his formative years in northwest Louisiana.

Defense-related think tanks and contractors, as well as the Pentagon and other U.S. agencies, were the target of repeated computer network intrusions last year apparently originating in China, the Department of Defense said this week.