The U.S. Army National Guard is seeking top tier, uniquely skilled professionals with a passion to provide an immediate and positive impact in fortifying the Army’s defenses against rapidly evolving threats. The Army National Guard is also seeking those who can drive innovation, safeguard critical infrastructure, and ensure a ready force led by our great citizen Soldiers during state and federal cyber missions.
Qualified personnel can apply for a direct appointment as a commissioned officer in the Army National Guard. With Cyber elements spread across the 54 States, Territories, and District of Columbia, a variety of positions are available in offensive and defensive cyberspace operations and infrastructure support, depending on location. If you meet our specific requirements, you are invited to apply for this crucial and rewarding challenge of becoming a Cyber Officer.
Direct commissioning in the Army National Guard will be limited to vacant positions within the applicant’s preferred State (or territory). If an applicant desires a specific State and that State does not have any Cyber Officer vacancies, the applicant will need to pursue a position in a different State or possibly pursue enlistment opportunities in their preferred State.
Cyber Officers conduct dynamic real-world operations to enable global force projection through sensing and understanding the information dimension, engineering and integrating exquisite capabilities, and gaining advantages in technological and data-centric environments. If selected for this opportunity, you will:
• Lead, direct, manage, plan, integrate, synchronize, and execute offensive and defensive cyberspace operations.
• Become well-versed in maneuvering in and through the cyberspace domain and electromagnetic spectrum to deliver effects to secure critical infrastructure and defend our nation.
• Ensure the training and readiness of your unit for the accomplishment of your mission.
• Be a U.S. citizen only
• Meet specific education and skill requirements
• Pass the Army medical physical and meet basic fitness standards
• Match criteria for an available position at the State Army National Guard level
• Be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret (TS) security clearance with Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI) access
• Current servicemembers are eligible to apply
Candidates may qualify for direct commissioning with experience in a wide variety of technical skill areas. Possession of at least some of the following criteria is required but does not guarantee direct commissioning approval.
• Proven ability to lead a team/organization in an operational, tactical, or technical environment.
• Eight or more years of experience in a relevant technology field with technical proficiency, such as:
o Implementing network security and protocols affecting IT, ICS/SCADA, etc.
o Vulnerability assessment, penetration testing, or red team experience
o Diagnosing cyber threats and vulnerabilities with an understanding of common attack methodologies
o Advanced digital forensics
o Extensive incident response experience
o Senior system and network administration
o Advanced cloud systems security management
o Software, application, database, or frontend/backend engineering
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
Bachelor’s degree required for direct commissioning. An undergraduate or graduate degree in a relevant STEM field is preferred (and potentially required in some cases) and/or possession of a commensurate level of expertise and credentials in a cyber field.
