DVIDS – News – PEO STRI Threat Systems Management Office Supports New JROTC Cybersecurity Program

Personnel from the U.S. Army’s Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI) Threat Systems Management Office (TSMO) in Huntsville, Alabama, are helping to launch a new cyber pilot program for Army JROTC students at 11 high schools located across the country beginning this fall.

Officially launched April 26-27 during a kickoff celebration in Huntsville, the Army JROTC Cyber Pilot Program is designed to address the current and future needs of the nation by preparing interested students for careers in the cybersecurity field.

Army civilian employees from TSMO joined leaders from the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Army Cyber Command, Army Training and Doctrine Command, Army Cadet Command, other government agencies, academia and industry to help establish and launch the program.

“The primary goal of the program is to grow a cyber talent pipeline starting at the high school level to address the national workplace deficiencies we currently have in the cyber career field,” said Sarah Estill, cyber branch chief for TSMO. “There is still a focus on the Army leadership, structure and values, however, the JROTC cyber program is heavily focused on recruiting students and getting students exposed early to the cyber career field.”

As a four-year high school program, the curriculum will provide students with opportunities to attain key knowledge, skills and abilities through innovative activities, competitions and workplace experience with cyber mentors. According to Estill, planning for the JROTC Cyber Pilot Program began several years ago.

“About two years ago TSMO was asked to participate in an operational planning team,” said Estill. “The way we got involved in this was through our partnership with the University of Alabama, Huntsville, who is an integral part of launching the JROTC cyber program, along with the Huntsville community here.”

Estill said the role TSMO played on the planning team was to help determine what skills sets are required to be successful in the cyber career field and determine how those skills could be acquired at the high school level. Educational professionals on the team helped develop the overall curriculum for the program.

“Even if students choose not to join the military after graduation, they still will have received valuable career training in the cyber field,” Estill said. “Part of the programs is to develop cyber experience and obtain cyber certifications that can help them join the cyber workforce right after high school, even without a college degree.”

Estill said TSMO will continue to support the pilot program as needed in the future.

“Moving forward, I can see us as a resource providing information to JROTC students on what it is like to work as a penetration tester or as a cyber security tester,” she said. “I can also see us providing subject matter experts to speak at the high school to get them excited and give them some operational feedback on what we do.”

Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing career field and is projected to have more than 1.8 million unfilled positions this year. The JROTC Cyber Pilot Program is part of the Army’s overall effort to infuse STEM curriculum in high schools across the country.

The 11 schools selected for the pilot program are located in Alabama, Indiana, Louisiana, Missouri, New Mexico, New York, Oklahoma, Texas, Virginia and Washington DC. Schools were selected based on their current Army JROTC program, as well proximity to military installations for instructors, colleges and universities with strong cyber programs, and business and industry willing to host internships and career shadowing opportunities.

U.S. Army Program Executive Office Simulation, Training and Instrumentation (PEO STRI), headquartered in Orlando, Florida, leads a skilled and diverse workforce and works with high-caliber Army partners to enhance operational readiness and support the Army’s modernization efforts by fielding and sustaining the next generation of multi-domain operations testing, training and information operations capabilities.

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