There’s a new military occupational specialty: Cryptologic Network Warfare Specialist
The military is looking for 500-600 soldiers to fill an initial need as Cryptologic Network Warfare Specialists (35Q), a new military occupational specialty (MOS) established this autumn.
The military is looking for 500-600 soldiers to fill an initial need as Cryptologic Network Warfare Specialists (35Q), a new military occupational specialty (MOS) established this autumn.
Soldiers from any MOS may apply as long as their current MOS will release them to reclassify into this new field, and active-duty soldiers in the grades of E-3 to E-6 are eligible.
"A 35 Quebec supervises and conducts full-spectrum military cryptologic digital operations to enable actions in all domains, NIPRNet as well as SIPRNet, to ensure friendly freedom of action in cyberspace and deny adversaries the same," said SGT 1st Class Dan Gutierrez, 35Q CNW senior enlisted advisor, in an article written by the Army News Service.
Soldiers have been doing that type of intelligence work in related intelligence MOSs for a number of years, and the MOS was created to keep them working in the field and to keep their skills sharp.
"If you have a 35N (Signals Intelligence Analyst), for example, a traditional signals analyst doing what Quebecs are doing now, there was no way to track them and ensure their skills remained relevant as times change in field," said Gutierrez in the article. "If a 35N went on to another assignment (outside of what a 35Q now does), we could lose those highly perishable skills. So the new MOS was created to ensure those soldiers stay proficient and on top of their game."
Recruiters identified candidates for 35Q in June, and they started school in October at the 24-week Joint Cyber Analysis Course in Pensacola, Fla.
"About 80 percent of new 35Qs are new accessions coming off the street and 20 percent are from reclassifying Soldiers," said LTC Kurt Connell, Military Intelligence Enlisted Branch chief, in the Army News Service article.
A requirement necessary to move into the new MOS is a score of 109 on the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery for those who took the test prior to 2002, and 105 or better after that date. More information on the new MOS can be found in Military Personnel messages 12-173 and 12-187.