Via gulfnews.com, the AP had an interesting story on cybersecurity training in officer commissioning programs.  Focusing mostly on the service academies, the article noted that the big three (the Blue Zoo aka USAFA, the USN Academy, and West Point) “are ramping up efforts to groom a new breed of cyberspace warriors.”  Interestingly, Annapolis now requires freshmen cadets to “take a semester on cyber security, and it is adding a second required cyber course for juniors next year.”  The article went into further depth on USAFA and West Point’s efforts and discussed intercollegiate cyber competitions.

Along similar lines, Steve Blank wrote for Forbes and recounted his recent visit to USAFA and reflected on “Why The Military Is Taking Cyber Warfare Seriously.”  I found this portion relevant:

I visited the Cyber 256 class and got a look at the syllabus. Imagine going to college not only to learn how to hack computers but also actually majoring in it. The class consisted of basic networking and administration, network mapping, remote exploits, denial of service, web vulnerabilities, social engineering, password vulnerabilities, wireless network exploitation, persistence, digital media analysis, and cyber mission operations. In addition to the class in Cyber Warfare, there was also a cadet Cyber Warfare Club and an annual National Security Agency Cyber Warfare competition. The Air Force competes with other military branches and National Guard units; the instructor proudly told me that the Air Force has won for the last two years.  I only wish I had taken a picture of the huge trophy in the back of the classroom.

While the service academies are taking impressive steps, I can’t help but feel that ROTC is getting a bit left out.  I know AFROTC used to run a summer program at Rome Labs in Rome NY where cadets would work on cyber issues (and run 9 miles a day).  Unfortunately, I think the money dried up, and I don’t know if anything similar has replaced it.