(Fadian, Mangilao) – On Wednesday, September 2, 2026, the Guam Power Authority (GPA) met with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency’s (CISA) Regional Director for Region 9, Dr. Gerri Alston-Meggett, to discuss the cybersecurity and physical security of Guam’s critical infrastructure.

CISA, an agency under the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), leads national efforts to understand, manage, and reduce risk to the nation’s cyber and physical infrastructure. These areas of priority include power, water, wastewater, communications, transportation, healthcare, and chemical safety. During this collaboration. CISA Region 9 Regional Director, Dr. Alston-Meggett provided feedback and additional guidance.

Guam’s strategic geographic location and critical military infrastructure make the island a top national security priority for DHS and CISA. Following this collaboration, CISA leadership expressed strong support for the local utilities, noting that the agency was impressed with GPA and the Guam Waterworks Authority’s (GWA) current cybersecurity and physical security operations as mature and precise.

“Guam Power Authority (GPA) and Guam Water Authority (GWA) set an example of the type of partnership that can strengthen the security and resilience of a community’s critical infrastructure,” said CISA Region 9 Regional Director, Dr. Gerri Alston-Meggett. “By collocating their facilities, power and water representatives can work side-by-side across multiple departments, enhancing information sharing and collaboration to protect the critical services the residents of Guam rely on every day.”

Region 9 leadership coordinates extensively with local authorities to protect and enhance the resilience of Guam’s physical and cyber systems. Through the federally and locally approved Island Wide Cybersecurity plan, CISA supports Guam’s utilities by providing tactical advisors, specialized training, and emergency preparedness to assist in times of crisis. Additionally, CISA provides direct assistance with federal grant applications, technical risk assessments, and specialized security tools designed to protect essential community lifelines. By building strong partnerships, CISA delivers continuous expertise and best-practices planning to defend against potential cyber and physical threats.

GPA General Manger John M. Benavente, P.E. said, “Our mission is to provide efficient, reliable, and secure power to Guam’s residents and partners. Protecting customer data and safeguarding against any system attacks remain at the forefront of GPWA’s cybersecurity and physical security readiness. The partnership with DHS CISA and the integration of advanced networking solutions will strengthen our operational capabilities and allow us to stay ahead of evolving cyber threats.”

GWA Assistant General Manager of Engineering, Brett Railey P.E., said, “Implementation of proper cyber security practices is as important as regular maintenance of our water and wastewater systems for delivering safe and reliable water and wastewater services to the island. GWA is pleased with our partnership with CISA. Support from this partnership combined with on-going capital improvement projects for system security will only enhance our ability to continuously defend against current and future threats.”

CISA Region 9 oversees operations across Arizona, California, Hawaii, Nevada, the territories of American Samoa and Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI). GPA and GWA continue to leverage this regional partnership to safeguard networks and ensure reliable and secure utility services for the community.