Thursday, June 11, 2015
What is it?
The U.S. Army is moving quickly to fill the newly created Cyber Branch, with 1,200 officers, warrant officers and enlisted Soldiers on the job soon. Army Secretary John McHugh and Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno set an aggressive goal of standing up the Cyber Branch by October 2015.
Creation of the cyber branch acknowledges the critical role cyber Soldiers play in the armed forces of today and tomorrow. It provides the structure to make certain that highly-skilled Soldiers in these positions are well-trained, professionally developed and appropriately assigned.
What has the Army done?
A Cyber-specific selective retention bonus is being offered to certain Soldiers serving in the Cyber Mission Force in MOS 35Q.
Soldiers from any MOS can reclassify into MOS 17C, Cyber Operations Specialist. Soldiers already serving in the Cyber Mission Force will transition into MOS 17C. The transition program applies only to Soldiers in certain cyber roles in certain units.
More than 100 officers have been selected to join the Cyber Branch as Cyber operations officers, MOS 17A. A second round of VTIP is in progress now. Details for warrant officer accession will be announced soon.
What continued efforts does the Army have planned for the future?
The first Basic Officer Leader Course begins this summer at the U.S. Army Cyber School at Fort Gordon, Georgia, followed by warrant officer and enlisted Soldier training in late 2015 and early 2016. Advanced Individual Training will begin at Fort Gordon when facilities are available.
Why is this important to the Army?
Network dominance and defense is an integral part of national security, and the Army is focused on providing increased capability to the Joint Force. Military networks have evolved from simple communication. Cyberspace is now considered a warfighting domain, in which the Defense Department will conduct operations. This new domain requires Soldiers who understand cyberspace as an operational environment, just as infantry Soldiers understand the land domain and pilot’s airspace. Winning in this new domain requires effective management of this force of highly skilled, high-demand Soldiers.
The Army Cyber Center of Excellence at Fort Gordon is proponent for Cyber operations under the Training and Doctrine Command (TRADOC). The almost unprecedented speed of building the Cyber Branch results from the close collaboration with the Army Human Resources Command and ongoing support from senior leaders.
Resources:
Subscribe to STAND-TO! to learn about the U.S. Army initiatives.