February 14, 2024 at 01:39PM
The US Air Force is reintroducing warrant officer ranks exclusively for the cyber and information technology professions to enhance readiness against advanced threats from China and Russia. This move aims to attract tech talent and improve capabilities in the face of modernization and strategic adversaries. Additional technical career tracks and new commands are also being established.
The meeting notes provide detailed information about the US Air Force’s reintroduction of warrant officer ranks exclusively within the cyber and information technology professions. The move aims to better prepare the USAF and the Space Force to fend off advanced threats emerging from China and Russia. The new warrant officer track aims to draw tech talent by offering better pay than enlisted airmen without the burden of broad command responsibility. In addition to reintroducing warrant officer ranks, the USAF plans to expand technical career tracks for commissioned officers and create new technical tracks for enlisted airmen. The elevation of the Air Force’s Cyber/information warfare group and the creation of an Information Dominance Systems Center were also announced at the warfare symposium. The exact timeline for implementation and specific roles for officers and enlisted airmen are still under development. The “cyber” category includes security, information technology, computer networks, offensive cyber operations, and overall operations in the digital domain. The Air Force Secretary emphasized the urgency in moving forward to be ready to deter and win against emerging threats from strategic adversaries.