Paper

                                           Academic Paper

                                          Cory I Thomas

                                 Old Dominion University

 

 

Introduction

we are developing a book on how to become an Army Cyber Security Officer the problem is that normal people are scared to become a military member because lack of knowledge which is why only one percent of the world’s population is military. Army Cyber Security officers are one of the most demanding branches in the army. The training that an Officer will gain will be leadership development, military skills, and career training in the cybersecurity field. All military leadership courses take place both in the classroom and in the field and are mixed with normal academic studies. The purpose of this workbook is to teach and provide information to individuals that are unsure about the military and its lifestyle. Some students that have parents or other relatives that are prior service have the basic knowledge of the military. Other students that do not have family members that are not military members are scared to join due to the lack of knowledge. Some students might talk to military officers once or twice and the information that they receive are not good enough to understand. This workbook will allow students to understand the role of a cybersecurity military officer. Students will take in all the know all the must-know knowledge that is needed when becoming a cybersecurity officer. It will also provide all the benefits of becoming a cybersecurity officer compared to an enlisted soldier.

The reason why other students or military members have not created a workbook on becoming a cybersecurity officer is that they believe word of mouth is better than giving away something like a brochure. Most people will retain the information better through reading than just listening to someone. What we will address are the commonly asked questions that prevent students from becoming commission officer in cybersecurity. Some of the questions that are asked are; what is cyberspace, What is cyber warfare, why do we need cybersecurity officers, what steps are we taking toward fixing this problem, how many years is cybersecurity school, what are the requirements for joining the cyber branch, what is the purpose of this workbook, and How many years do you have to serve after joining cybersecurity branch as an officer.

There are many barriers that are faced when trying to join the military and to become an officer. Things such as health, mental capacity, and other obstacles could prevent someone from joining. We will address all the barriers that we have personally faced while being a commission officer in the military. Some barriers that students would have to break are: They must be a US citizen between the ages of 17 and 26, receive a high school diploma, have a bachelor’s degree and pass the Army Physical Fitness Test. To measure the success of this workbook we would need to measure the income of cybersecurity officers from previous years to years after the workbook has been released. Other factors that could measure success could be how many copies of the workbook have been ordered by companies to give out, find a way to measure the progress that is meaningful to the company, don’t judge the company’s success according to how well other companies are doing.

The purpose of this workbook is to cover the importance of the content and summarize the information on how to become a cybersecurity officer in the United States military.

Cyber Security officer

 

Review of literature

 Cyberspace has no specific definition because it is unique. Cyberspace is spread all over the world. It can be described as the internet, but it is made up of all the computer networks across the world. Cyberspace is a broad space in which information can be delivered, saved, deleted, created, and destroyed.

Cyber warfare only happens inside of cyberspace. Cyber warfare is also unique, cyber warfare does not have a definition, but it does have its own characteristics. The only way a cyber conflict to be deemed as warfare, it must have the nature of armed aggression of one international law subject against someone. This does not mean face to face force, but it refers to physical destruction and the death of humans. Cyber warfare is more define topic in cybersecurity. Cyber warfare also has to deals with criminal and intelligent activities.

The world evolves daily, and the world relies on computer systems more than ever. Cyber warfare could be the leading factor in the future because it is more effective and causes fewer casualties. Whoever has control over cyberspace can control the world. Most of the military forces across the world rely on machines that operate on a secure network. These machines can be manipulated or controlled with the right hacking method, which can shift any war. The more control over cyberspace the more power you will have.

The most important part of having control over cyberspace is having control over the media. Having access to the media can shift the war also because anyone can alter the media to get the public view on their side. The most important thing to take away from this is that whoever controls the computer systems or cyberspace the better off they will be in a time of war.

As the cyber threats increase yearly so does the software and tools in the industrial environment. We need more people to help protect us from cybercrime and cyber warfare. Homeland security and public safety are at risk because of cyber threats. This is a huge deal, not only to the public safety of the United States but it also threatens financial gain, fraud, political damages, and the economy. This subject is not to be taken lightly; this is why we need more cybersecurity perfusions to be expanded.

According to Washington’s post, the Pentagon is boosting the cybersecurity force. The goal for the Pentagon is to expand the staffing of the department of defense cyber command. By doing this they will be reduced or stop foreign threats that can affect the United States of America. The more staff we have with the knowledge of cyber security they better chance we have distributing the information into the public environment of the United States. This will help prevent lower-level attacks that the department of defense might not be able to detect.

In order to become a cybersecurity officer in the military, there are some requirements you need to fulfill. The process of becoming a military officer is called commissioning in the United States Army. There are three ways you can become commissioned in the United States Army. The first way is obtaining a bachelor’s degree, completing officer candidate school and ROTC program. The officer school has 12 weeks of schooling in the classroom and in the field. Also, you have to be a United States citizen, between the ages of 17 – 26, maintain a grade point average 2.5 or higher and meet the physical standard fitness test.

The physical fitness test is a test that pushes you to your maximum capabilities mentally and physically. There is a push-up, sit up and 2-mile run that determines if you are physically and mentally fit to become a United States soldier. Even if you might be able to complete these tasks there is also a high and weight standard accompanied by body fat standards. All of these requirements have been set by previous members of the military and also by a researcher who collects date from the past to the present. The fitness test is a requirement for soldiers to pass at least twice a year. They do this so all of the solider is physically ready for battle 24/7. Failing multiple army standard physical fitness test can and will lead to the discharge of the military. It is important to stay mentally and physically fit in the military as a commission officer because you will be leading troops in and out of battle. A true leader does not lower his own standards but makes them higher for others to follow.

The next option to becoming a cybersecurity officer is to complete the United States Military West Point Academy. The requirement is similar to the ROTC program, you have to obtain a bachelor’s degree, have a grade point average of 2.5, complete the field and training course, and past the army physical fitness test. After completing these tasks, you will have commissioned in the army as active duty and must serve five years. After serving five years you can to be placed in the army reserves of retire for the United States Army.

The last option of joining the United States military as a cybersecurity officer is completing officer candidate school. You must have a four-year degree, be between the ages of 19 – 32, and you must be eligible for a security clearance. The other requirement is the same as the others, complete the field and training course, and past the army physical fitness test. After completing these tasks, you will be commissioned in the army.

The requirements for branching cybersecurity are a little bit tricky for ROTC and officer candidate school. In order to branch cybersecurity, you need to have a bachelor’s degree or a four-year degree similar to cybersecurity. The similarity degree can range from cybersecurity to computer science majors. They are required because cybersecurity is a new field to the military and a lot of soldiers request this branch. The purpose of having a similar degree is to weed out the people who do not have experience in this field. The United States Military West Point Academy has its own branch requirements for this branch. Anyone who completes the United States Military West Point Academy will have the option of choosing their branch for the next five years.

 

After selecting or being chosen for the cybersecurity branch you will have to attend cyber bolc. This is a training school that teaches you the updated knowledge of cybersecurity. Cyber bolc is about 37 weeks long making it the longest officer training program in the army. After completing this course, you will be a cybersecurity officer. You will be a leader to the enlisted soldier and will be able to solve problem pertaining to cybersecurity.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                                Overview

 

My problem and innovation can relate to a lot of material covered in my recent classes outside of my major. The most relatable part about my problem and innovation is that my problem deal with the computer networks. In all of my recent classes required me to type papers, do projects, do homework, submit applications, and create applications. All of these requirements have to deal with cyberspace or using the internet for communication. All of the materials that have to be created or submitted need to go through some sort of internet connection. Someone has to monitor these networks or Old Dominion University would be compromised. Having a cybersecurity professional under the staff helps prevents accident or hacking from the Old Dominion University servers. My workbook discusses how important it is to have someone to monitor the server and how we could be affected if someone hacked and took our personal data. They could use it to hurt the public safety of the United States, but it also threatens financial gain, fraud, political damages, and the economy. This subject is not to be taken lightly; this is why we need more cybersecurity perfusions to be expanded. Another reason my workbook is relatable is that it is to help inform and persuade people to take on cybersecurity as a profession. I have used my knowledge of cyber security in my classes before, I have a countless number of times I have had to help the professor fix the volume on the projector or even help load up the projector screen from the ODU desktop. Cybersecurity is the next generation big thing and we must do everything we can to get others to join our team.

 

 

Determining success

The reason why others have not created this workbook is that no one has created one on cybersecurity officers. They usually hear a thing about cybersecurity officer by the word of mouth. People will retain the information better through reading than just listening to someone. To measure the success of this workbook we would need to measure the income of army cybersecurity officers from previous years to years after the workbook has been released. We can give the workbook out to colleges and high schools so they can share the information that is provided. After a certain period of time, we can go back and access the output of cybersecurity officers that have read the book compared to cybersecurity officers that have not read the book.

This will give us an idea of how effective the workbook is when other student read the material. Not all of the students will become cybersecurity officer because of human error. Some student might not be physically or mentally fit to join the military. But we can also access the number of people who graduated with a cybersecurity bachelor’s degree compared to the student who has not read the workbook.

 

 

 

Turning it into Reality

When creating this workbook, the main point of this book is to figure out why this book is important and how will it help others. This workbook needs to answer the question of the audience. Crating a workbook with no benefits to the audience would be a waste of time because anyone can create a workbook. In order to turn this workbook into reality, I need to cover the basic step so it will not fail in the long run. This workbook needs to be well thought out, with using workbook shop I can create and get a workbook published. The most important steps are as follows:

  • Outline your workbook content and create engaging questions:
  • Use InDesign’s tools and features
  • Create and set up your document
  • Create a branded cover page
  • Create Master Pages to save you hours of time
  • Create complex layouts super easily
  • Save your workbook for easy printing by your audience
  • Deliver your workbook to readers
  • Promote your workbook

Writing and Self-Publishing Software. You can use free writing software or spend around $100 to $300. You’re going to need a computer and writing software like Google Docs, Microsoft Word or Scrivener. After you’ve written your book, you can either hire a designer to prepare your digital book files or do it yourself. There are many self-publishing companies out there that will love to help with the book.

Also, Tableau Server and Tableau Online are great options for publishing and sharing Tableau content. Tableau Server provides browser-based analytics without the need to download software. Tableau Online is the hosted SaaS version of Tableau Server and can also be used to publish and share dashboards and workbooks. If the Tableau Server administrator has granted the appropriate permissions, users can share their Tableau content from within Tableau Server.  With Tableau Server, content can be organized into sites, projects, and groups; providing a better collaboration environment. Content can be shared via the share icon in Tableau Server (shown below). The share icon can be used to email a link to the workbook or embed a URL on a web page. Users can then access the published Tableau content via a web browser. Users can also subscribe to workbooks or worksheets published on Tableau Server. These workbooks can be set up for automatic refresh, ensuring the latest view of the data. If end users are given edit permissions, they can make changes within Tableau Server’s web authoring environment. As is the case for Tableau Mobile, users accessing this content will need the appropriate Tableau Server or Tableau Online license.

 

 

Next Steps

The necessary next steps to take after the book has been published to it out into the public and raise awareness. Self-advertising and having the publishing company advertise the workbook is a crucial step in making sure the success and awareness of the book are out there. The only way that potential cybersecurity officers will know that they can become cyber officers in the army is if the workbook has been placed into their hands and they can read through it. After the book has been in the public for at least six months measurements of the incoming cadet class should begin. The measurements should calculate whether more potential has begun to join the army. It should also measure the number of cybersecurity officers that are majoring in computer-intensive courses and looking to branch into the cyber defense corps. After the initial measurements have been taken and analyzed the actual success of the workbook could be measured. These measurements should continually be taken and eventually, the workbook could be added to and changed to make sure the numbers start to rise or continue to rise as the times change.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

                                              Reflection letter

 

Dear director of the advanced technology center,

 

My name is Cory Thomas a current student at Old Dominion University.  This project was mainly to influence and provide information on becoming a cybersecurity officer. It mostly contains some of the questions that are asked are; what is cyberspace, What is cyber warfare, why do we need cybersecurity officers, what steps are we taking toward fixing this problem, how many years is cybersecurity school, what are the requirements for joining the cyber branch, what is the purpose of this workbook, and How many years do you have to serve after joining cybersecurity branch as an officer.

I think all student will find value in this workbook because it provides information about becoming an army cybersecurity officer. This book basically explains why we need more cybersecurity graduates and how to become one in the military. I wish that I had some of the knowledge of doing cybersecurity because I would have changed my major a long time ago. Some recommendations I would consider doing differently would be to go into dept on other options like government job besides joining the military.

References

Dan-Iulian Voitașec. (2016). MEANS AND METHODS OF CYBER WARFARE. Challenges of the Knowledge Society, 6, 555-561.

 

Mladenović, D. D., Jovanović, D. M., & Drakulić, M. S. (2012). Defining cyber warfare. Vojnotehnicki Glasnik, 60(2), 84-117. doi:10.5937/vojtehg1202084m

 

Baldi, M. (2013). Cybersecurity: We need more whitelisting. PACE, PACE, Oct 2013.

 

Barnett, D., Sell, T., Lord, R., Jenkins, C., Terbush, J., & Burke, T. (2013). Cyber Security Threats to Public Health. World Medical & Health Policy, 5(1), 37-46.

 

Reilly, T., Gebhardt, D., Billing, D., Greeves, J., & Sharp, M. (2015). DEVELOPMENT AND IMPLEMENTATION OF EVIDENCE-BASED PHYSICAL EMPLOYMENT STANDARDS: KEY CHALLENGES IN THE MILITARY CONTEXT. Journal Of Strength And Conditioning Research, 29(S11), S28-S33.

 

Hall, H., Bonnette, Randy, Ajisafe, Toyin, & Boham, Mikaela. (2018). The Relationship Between the Army Physical Fitness Test and a Twelve-mile Ruck, ProQuest Dissertations and Theses.

 

Waters, B., Boneh, D., Aldeman, L., Mcdaniel, P., & Van Oorschot, P. (2017). Cybersecurity. Communications Of The Acm, 60(4), 20-21.

 

Kennedy, S. (2017). Over and Out. Information Today, 34(10), 7.