Direct commissioning of information warfare officers, smooth cyber operators, and such has been going on for awhile. Does anyone know how it is going? I ask because, as I was reading the April issue of the Marine Corps Gazette, it occurred to me that it must be a very difficult proposition, especially for active duty forces.
It seems to me to be one thing to pick up young chaplain or lawyer, fresh out of school, or to pay for someone’s medical school in exchange for a term of service.
It is quite another, and more difficult task, to find a cyber expert of proven competence willing to give up the fat salaries, lush perks and alluring freedoms of Silicon Valley for the active duty life at Fort Swampy, Georgia. As I understand it, people accepting a direct commission into the Army cybercorps must serve three years on active duty. How is that working?
I suspect the answer is probably using the Reserves, allowing people who are like my college roommate, who went to work for Apple a few decades ago, to fire off a .50 cal and ride in a Black Hawk once a year and devise malware for the Information Operations Group at Camp Parks one weekend a month.
