Standing Strong Together: The Resilient Spirit of the SLTT Cybersecurity Community

Across the nation, the state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) cybersecurity community continues to lead with resilience, resolve, and unity. In the face of persistent cyber threats, rapid technological change, and challenging fiscal realities, this community continues to model Collective Cyber Defense in action.

Choosing Collaboration When It Matters Most

In 2025, the elimination of federal funding for U.S. SLTT cybersecurity efforts through the Multi-State Information Sharing and Analysis Center^® (MS-ISAC^®) marked a pivotal transition. What followed was not retreat by the community. It was resolve. U.S. SLTT organizations reaffirmed a shared commitment to collaboration, mutual support, and the belief that cybersecurity is a core responsibility of government.

Today, more than 5,000 U.S. SLTT organizations have stepped forward in the new member‑funded MS‑ISAC model, affirming their belief that cybersecurity is mission‑critical and collaboration is essential. The continued expansion of statewide memberships extends funded membership eligibility to more than 25,000 local governments and agencies, and it underscores the trust and shared leadership across every level of government.

The continued engagement of more than 18,000 legacy MS‑ISAC members who first came together under a federally-funded model remains critically important. Through the MS‑ISAC Connect program, these organizations can opt to remain fundamentally informed, connected, and aligned to the mission of protecting government systems, data, and the sensitive information entrusted to them by citizens. By maintaining this sustained connection, these organizations remain postured to seamlessly rejoin the MS-ISAC when ready, reinforcing the enduring truth that no organization protecting the public interest ever stands alone.

A Community of Service, Resolve, and Trust

The challenges facing the U.S. SLTT cybersecurity workforce remain immense. Every day, public servants defend elections, protect emergency services, secure health systems, and safeguard digital services communities rely on. They do this while facing increasingly sophisticated adversaries and limited resources. Their work is often unseen and measured by what doesn’t happen: disruptions avoided, data protected, and crises quietly averted. Yet its impact is profound, sustaining public trust and the continuity of critical services.

The transition to a member‑supported MS-ISAC model is a declaration of shared ownership and collective resolve within the U.S. SLTT community. From the smallest rural township to the largest state enterprise, from tribal nations to U.S. territories, the U.S. SLTT community forms the backbone of national cyber resilience, and the MS‑ISAC exists to serve the SLTT community.

5,000 Strong and Growing

This milestone deserves recognition and celebration. To every U.S. SLTT leader, practitioner, and public servant: thank you for your courage, professionalism, and unwavering commitment to protecting the systems that keep our communities running.

Together, we move forward stronger, more connected, and united in purpose.

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About the Author

Carlos Kizzee
Senior Vice President, MS-ISAC Strategy & Plans

Carlos P. Kizzee is the Senior VP MS-ISAC Strategy & Plans with the Center for Internet Security^® (CIS^®) . Previously, Carlos served with the Retail & Hospitality ISAC as VP, Intelligence; building and supporting retail and hospitality industry security collaboration; and with Defense Security Information Exchange as Executive Director, promoting threat intelligence sharing and collaboration within the defense industrial base and actively supporting the development and establishment of the National Defense ISAC.   

Prior to those roles, Carlos served as the Vice‐President for Multi‐Sector Initiatives with CIS, and within the Department of Homeland Security as the Deputy Director, Stakeholder Engagement and Cyber Infrastructure Resilience Division, and the Program Manager for a Joint Program Office implementing key operational information sharing and information sharing support program activities associated with Public‐Private threat information sharing, collaboration, and automation. Carlos also served within DHS as the Director of Strategic Cyber Initiatives for the Critical Infrastructure and Cyber Protection Branch of the National Cyber Security Division, Counsel for the National Operations Center, Senior Counsel for Infrastructure Protection, and as a Senior Attorney‐ Advisor for the DHS Office of General Counsel, General Law Division.

Carlos is a graduate of the United States Naval Academy and served as a career Marine Corps Officer. He received a Juris Doctorate from the Georgetown University Law Center, and a Master of Laws from the Judge Advocate General’s School of the Army at the University of Virginia’s School of Law.