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March 01, 2024
Two 桃瘾社区 ROTC Students Receive Coveted Active-Duty Assignments in Cyber Defense
This May, two 桃瘾社区 new graduates will become Army cyber officers, considered among the Army鈥檚 most competitive assignments.
Hunter Mauldin, left, and AJ Rodriguez, right, are only the second and third 桃瘾社区 students to be selected as Army cyber officers. Photo courtesy of AJ Rodriguez
Army ROTC Cadets AJ Rodriguez and Hunter Mauldin, both
cybersecurity
majors, are only the second and third 桃瘾社区 students to ever be selected as Army cyber officers, said LTC. Geoff Shorr,
Army ROTC
professor of military science and military science and leadership chair.
To be considered for Army cyber command, students must apply at least a year and a half ahead of placement and pass a technical exam followed by a personal exam. You must pass the first exam to get to the other.
鈥溙荫缜檚 recent National Security Administration designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense goes a long way toward attracting and training the best talent,鈥 Shorr said.
鈥淗unter Mauldin and AJ Rodriguez are two shining examples of the talented Army cyber leaders our University produces.鈥
Mauldin said he initially wanted to pursue a
management information systems
(MIS) degree to give his resume an edge. But his heart was always in computers. He鈥檚 been studying cybersecurity since high school.
鈥淚鈥檓 so happy I did it,鈥 he said, 鈥淢IS is an awesome major. It just didn鈥檛 align with (my) goals.
鈥淭here鈥檚 so much you can do (in cybersecurity) 鈥 it鈥檚 not just sitting at a computer looking after networks,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 probably the coolest branch of the Army.鈥
It鈥檚 about longevity, Mauldin said, adding it鈥檚 where he believes he could provide the best work for the longest amount of time.
Rodriguez, too, thinks that cyber is where he can make the biggest impact.
鈥淚 was always technical as a kid,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 a mix of passion and fulfillment.鈥
Cyber defense is a niche part of the Army, Rodriguez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 one of the most desirable, but one of the smallest based on how many slots they have.鈥
After commissioning into the Army as second lieutenants after graduation, Mauldin and Rodriguez will attend their first active-duty Army assignments at the U.S. Army Cyber Center of Excellence and Army Cyber School at Fort Eisenhower, Georgia, Shorr said. There, they will receive formal training and development as cyber warfare professionals.
鈥淲e鈥檝e been with each other since last summer,鈥 Rodriguez said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been nice to have a buddy with the same interest.鈥
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