Got a wild idea? We build for service members — not the brass, not shareholders. If it's good, it ships.
Suggest a Feature →Cyber Warfare Technician
Serves as the technical expert for cyber operations including offensive and defensive cyberspace operations, digital forensics, and malware analysis. Provides technical leadership to cyber teams.
“As a Cyber Operations Technician, you'll be the Army's deep technical expert in cyberspace. You'll master offensive and defensive cyber tools, exploit development, and network analysis at a level that exceeds most officers — becoming the irreplaceable technical backbone of Army Cyber.”
You are the warrant officer the Army calls when cyber gets too complicated for the officers and too classified for the enlisted — so, always. Your job exists in a SCIF and your social life exists in theory. You troubleshoot things you can't describe at dinner, brief capabilities you can't name to people who don't understand, and maintain systems that the Army doesn't officially acknowledge using. Your civilian counterpart makes three times your salary and works half your hours, which is why retention in your field requires the Army to essentially beg. But you do things at the intersection of hacking and national defense that exactly seven people on earth understand, and you're one of them. That's worth something that money doesn't cover.
MOS Intel
- 1The 170A is one of the highest civilian-value warrant officer positions in the Army. TS/SCI + senior cyber expertise + leadership = $150-200K+ starting salary as a civilian.
- 2Stay technically current. The cyber domain evolves faster than any other, and warrant officers who stop learning become obsolete.
- 3Network with NSA, CYBERCOM, and industry professionals. The cyber community is small enough that your reputation and relationships define your career.
Cyber operations technician warrant officer is the pinnacle of the enlisted-to-technical expert cyber path in the Army. You are the person who provides deep technical expertise to cyber operations teams — the warrant officer who can hack, defend, and advise at the highest level. What the warrant officer advisor won't tell you: the Army is still figuring out how to manage cyber warrant officers, and career progression can be inconsistent. Some 170As do incredible work leading technical operations at CYBERCOM and NSA. Others get stuck in units that don't know how to use them. The civilian career ceiling is among the highest of any warrant officer position — senior cybersecurity roles in the private sector start well into six figures and climb from there. If you are a technically excellent 17C who wants to stay technical without going the officer route, the 170A path is the best option available.
What this actually is in the real world
Your skills translate. Here's what civilian employers call this job — and what they pay.
Computer and Information Systems Managers
Strong matchSalary data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program, retrieved Feb 2026. BLS.gov cannot vouch for the data or analyses derived from these data after the data have been retrieved from BLS.gov.
No reviews yet. Be the first to share your experience.
Write a Review