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Three Cool Things To Know Before Becoming an Army Cyber Warrior

The most powerful fighting force in the world needs you, cyber geeks, to become the leaders of the future.

Soldiers participate in a multiservice ‘NetWar’ exercise to show and build cyber warrior capabilities at the U.S. Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence Fort Gordon in Augusta, Georgia, in 2014. Photo courtesy U.S. Army National Guard

Battlefields are not what they used to be. Cyberspace is ever-changing with growing network traffic, viruses and hackers posing threats to the nation’s infrastructure and safety. While denying adversaries’ access to our cyber domains, the U.S. Army’s Cyber Command works to integrate and conduct cyberspace operations, electromagnetic warfare and information operations. However, no mission can be truly successful without a strong team. As the nation’s military works to expand its talent and workforce, here are just three things to know before becoming an Army cyber warrior—details courtesy of cyber experts from the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon, Georgia, who shared input during the second of four SIGNAL Media webinars leading up to AFCEA’s TechNet Augusta event next month.

1. As with any job, it’s important to be aware of key requirements before submitting an application. The most common minimum requirements for the U.S. Army Command Corps jobs are:

You must be a U.S. citizen.
You must have a clean criminal record. (In most cases, minor traffic violations are OK).
Secret/top secret clearances must be obtained and maintained.
BONUS: Science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) disciplines are a plus but are not required.

2. Depending on your skills and prior experience, instructional concepts and training paths will vary on a case-by-case basis. One of the most interesting things to note here is the potential of bypassing certain course levels.

“We’ve brought in majors and lieutenant colonels with no prior military experience,” Master Sgt. James Riddick, the Army’s Futures Course manager, explained during Wednesday’s TechNet Augusta 2022 Webinar, titled Acquiring and Developing the Army's Cyber and Electromagnetic Warfare Professionals. The Army provided familiarization and methodology courses, but the candidates could "skip second lieutenant, first lieutenant and captain, and you’re a major. That is very significant."

3. Recruitment is ongoing, and there is no limit to where you can catch Army professionals to discuss your future in cyberspace warfighting. “We’re continuously building out our force, getting requests for our cyber professionals and building the units to provide that cyber support,” said Sgt. 1st Class Brian Picerno, senior career manager and an adviser at the Army’s Cyber School.

Application opportunity events future cyber warriors will want to keep an eye out for include:

Capture the Flag events
Cyber Center of Excellence reach-out programs in high schools and colleges
Job Fairs
Cyber Conferences
TechNets (We hear AFCEA’s TechNet Augusta 2022, August 15-18, is a fantastic forum).

Now as you prepare to embark on the courageous journey to safeguard the nation from malicious cyber attacks, consider learning more by tuning in to the free, on-demand webinar, Acquiring and Developing the Army’s Cyber and Electromagnetic Warfare Professional to learn more. Listen in for further information on job requirements, step-by-step training breakdowns and geographical Cyber Corps locations.

This webinar is a precursor to AFCEA’s TechNet Augusta event taking place August 15-18 in Augusta, Georgia. Be sure to register today.