SAN DIEGO, CALIF – Captain Bryan Hyde of Huntsville is defending the United States against cyber-threats while serving in the U.S. Navy.

The Alabama native is serving in the U.S. Navy Reserves as a member of Space and Warfare Systems Command or SPAWAR. As a commanding officer, Hyde is responsible for ballistic missile defense systems and engineering assigned to SPAWAR in San Diego, Calif.

SPAWAR develops, delivers and sustains communications and information capabilities for warfighters, keeping them connected at all times, according to Navy officials.

“Serving in the Navy Reserves with SPAWAR is an opportunity to continue to be a part of the Navy,” Hyde said. He feels pride as part of a command that helps protect the United States from cyber-threats around the world.

“Being new to the unit, I know this command is an opportunity to do different things,” Hyde said. “We are able to be assigned to different projects. Things change over time, which allow you to grow as a sailor.”

The men and women who comprise SPAWAR provide the required hardware and software to complete Navy missions globally. The team consists of more than 9,500 active duty military and civil service individuals. These professionals keep SPAWAR at the forefront of research, engineering and acquisition to provide and sustain fleet capabilities.

Established in 1985, SPAWAR works to enhance technology on surface ships, aircraft and submarines. “The work done by the military and civilian team at SPAWAR is unmatched,” Rear Admiral David Lewis said. Lewis is commander for SPAWAR.

“I am always impressed by the creativity, enthusiasm and patriotism these men and women exude every day. Not only do they enhance cybersecurity efforts, but they are constantly working to deliver innovation to the fleet by fielding new systems and new technologies as rapidly and effectively as possible,” Lewis said.

“I’ve been serving in the Navy my entire adult life,” Hyde said. “It’s a way of life for me. It is part of who I am. Something my father and his father did, it’s just what we do.”

Note: Headquartered in Millington, Tenn., the Navy Office of Community Outreach travels globally to collect sailors’ stories. Kayla Good who works in that Navy office researched this story.

For more information, visit outreach.navy.mil, navy.mil/local/csg9 or Facebook/Navy Office of Community Outreach.