The Army is using a two-part program to meet the 700-member personnel requirement for 17C, the new military occupational specialty for active component enlisted soldiers who will serve as cyber operations specialists in the new Cyber career branch.
Automatic reclassification
Under a transition strategy now in effect, the Army will reclassify soldiers to 17C who are serving with designated units that have cyber-related missions.Those units are the 780th Military Intelligence Brigade, the 7th Cyber Protection Brigade and Joint Force Headquarters-Cyber.
Key features of the transition strategy are:
- Soldiers in the ranks of private through nonpromotable sergeant first class who are assigned to the designated units and who hold the additional skill identifier E6 (interactive on-net operator) automatically will be reclassified to 17C no later than Sept. 30.
- Soldiers in the ranks of private through nonpromotable sergeant first class who hold designated "work role" positions with the three cyber units automatically will be reclassified to 17C by Sept. 30.
- The work roles identified for recoding to 17C are interactive operator, exploitation analyst, digital network exploitation analyst, access network operator, cyber defense analyst, cyber security analyst and cyber planner.
- Soldiers will not incur an additional service obligation as a result of automatic reclassification, and they will not be required to repay any unearned portion of a retention bonus they received for their current MOS.
- Soldiers can opt-out of automatic reclassification if they want to stay in their current MOS by sending a DA Form 4187 (request for personnel action) to the Cyber Center of Excellence as described in MilPer Message 15-16, dated June 2.
- Soldiers in the ranks of promotable sergeant first class and master sergeant will not be reclassified to 17C unless thay formally opt-in to the transfer process by sending a DA Form 4187 request to the Cyber Center. These senior NCOs will incur a 36-month service remaining requirement if they reclassify.
Voluntary Reclassification
Regular Army soldiers in the ranks of master sergeant and below who are not assigned to one of the three designated units can request a voluntary reclassification to 17C if they meet rigorous eligibility and screening requirements set by the specialty proponent, the Cyber Center of Excellence.
Those requirements are detailed, and the application process is complex. Interested soldiers should consult MilPer Message 15-164, dated June 2, and contact their local career counselor for assistance.
The basic requirements are:
- Applicants must have a GT (General Technical) score of 110, or higher. Additionally they must have a minimum ST (Science and Technology) score of 116 for armed forces vocational tests administered before Jan. 2, 2002; 113 for tests administered Jan. 3, 2002, through March 31, 2014; or 112 for tests administered after April 1, 2014.
- Have a secret clearance or higher at the time of application. Subsequently soldiers must be able to obtain a top secret clearance with access to sensitive compartmented information.
- Applicants cannot have any adverse information in their official personnel file, provost marshal records or local security office, and no information in their medical record that would prevent them from being awarded MOS 17C.
- Soldiers will be required to pass a counterintelligence polygraph exam before being approved for reclassification.
Soldiers approved for reclassification will incur a 36-month service remaining requirement. For specific by-rank requirements, consult MilPer Message 15-164.
