PCTE is intended to solve Department of Defense (DoD) gaps that include the capability to effectively plan, build and conduct Cyber Mission Force (CMF) training. Currently, CMF training scenarios are manually deployed on a variety of cyber range resources with varying capabilities that lack fidelity, interoperability, reusability and cannot scale to support projected CMF demands. To close this training shortfall, DoD requires a persistent cyberspace training environment that can rapidly deploy and redeploy high fidelity training scenarios, on demand, into specific environments to meet the needs of the CMF. PCTE will enable the CMF to conduct training, exercises and mission rehearsals for the full spectrum of Cyberspace Operations.

PCTE deploys prototype capabilities through competitive Cyber Innovation Challenges (CICs) to the field consisting of capabilities including event management, environment creation/replication, and connections into to the Services' Crew Training Facilities. With continued evaluation of the CIC prototypes by Cyber Mission Forces (CMF) personnel, the PCTE platform will continue to evolve based on changes to technology, threat, and tactics, techniques and procedures (TTPs).

Cyber Innovation Challenge 2 is being issued to investigate prototype solutions specifically in the area of an order portal and content repository. The intent of the challenge is to evaluate the technical feasibility of integrating these capabilities into a PCTE baseline training solution.