A. Department of the Army Pamphlet (DA PAM) 600-3 (Officer Talent Management), 14 April 2023.
B. DA PAM 600-25 (U.S. Army Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Guide), 11 September 2023.
C. Army Regulation (AR) 621-5 (Army Continuing Education System), 19 March 2026.
D. AR 350-100 (Officer Active Duty Service Obligations), 21 July 2023.
E. AR 600-8-11 (Reassignment), 1 May 2011.
F. AR 600-9 (The Army Body Composition Program), 16 July 2019.
G. AR 614-30 (Overseas Service), 26 March 2025.
H. AR 614-100 (Officer Assignment Policies, and Procedures), 08 May 2024.
I. AR 614-200 (Enlisted Assignments and Utilization Management), 27 June 2025.
J. AR 621-1 (Advanced Education Programs and Requirements for Military Personnel), 08 May 2024.
K. AR 635-200 (Active Duty Enlisted Administrative Separations), 30 June 2025.
1. This MILPER message will expire NLT 31 January 2027.
2. The purpose of this message is to announce the FY27 Cyber Advanced Civil Schooling and Training with Industry opportunities and application instructions.
3. This MILPER message pertains only to Active Component, Cyber, 17-Series.
4. Program tenure/location: All selected personnel will be assigned to the Student Detachment, Fort Jackson, SC, with duty at the host school/industry.
5. Advanced Civil Schooling (ACS). ACS provides active-duty Army Officers and Warrant Officers (WO) with the best academic education in the most effective manner.
a. Academic fields of study must be approved by the Office Chief of Cyber (Proponent) prior to applying to the academic institution because the utilization requirements drive the course of study.
b. Degrees and/or focus areas of study in the following disciplines will hold more favorable consideration in the application process: Electrical Engineering; Computer Science; Computer Engineering; Cyber Security/Science/Operations; Software Engineering; Data Science/Analytics; Mathematics; Statistics; Informatics; Electronics Engineering; Telecom Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Systems Engineering; Aerospace Engineering; Physics; Computer Information Systems; Information Technology; Information Systems Security; Robotics/AI/Machine Learning.
c. National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security sponsored Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) and these institutions’ academic programs will hold more favorable consideration in the application process. For more information and a listing, refer to https://nsa.gov/resources/students-educators/centers-academic-excellence/.
d. Follow–on utilization assignments will be determined upon selection, based on degree of application and operational force requirements. This utilization assignment will be locked in prior to the participant’s start of the selected semester.
e. The following have been identified for Cyber Branch ACS opportunities.
| CATEGORY | SEMESTER |
|---|---|
| (17) Cyber Officer Master’s Degree | FALL |
| (17) Cyber Warrant Officer Master’s Degree | FALL |
| (17) Cyber PhD (3yr) | FALL |
f. Eligibility Criteria.
(1) Cyber Officers: O3-O4, Cyber Warrant Officers: W2-W3.
(2) Cyber Officers must have achieved the following career milestones. Captains must be Captain’s Career Course complete, and Majors must be Command and General Staff College (CGSC)/Intermediate Level Education (ILE) complete by ACS report date.
(3) Cyber Warrant Officers must have a minimum of four years continuous active federal service (AFS) as a Warrant Officer (WO) prior to requesting attendance and Warrant Officer Advance Course complete.
(4) Cyber Officers and WOs must be able to fulfill their active-duty service obligation (ADSO) because of their fully funded schooling, prior to their mandatory release date.
(5) Must be deployable (non-waiverable).
(6) Not flagged or pending adverse action.
(7) Possess a final TOP SECRET clearance with access to Sensitive Compartmented Information (SCI).
(8) Have not attended, graduated, or otherwise utilized another fully funded degree program. Use of tuition assistance and the GI Bill does not preclude ACS attendance.
(9) Commissioned Officers and WO will not exceed 17 years of AFS prior to the start of schooling.
g. Application Packet Requirements. Application packets must be completed as a Personnel Action Request (PAR) in IPPS-A, signed by the first O-6 in the applicant’s chain of command. (ACS/TWI IPPS-A submission instructions)
(1) Include the following in the “MORE INFORMATION” block of the PAR:
a) Servicemember (SM) meets all eligibility requirements.
b) I understand I will incur an additional ADSO IAW AR 350-100. I understand that this ADSO will be served consecutively with any other ADSOs.
c) I understand that I will serve a utilization tour following ACS, IAW AR 621-1, to fulfill Army and Cyber mission requirements and will not participate in the Assignment Interactive Module (AIM) Marketplace until the utilization tour is complete.
d) I acknowledge that the academic field of study must be approved by the Office Chief of Cyber (Proponent) prior to applying to the academic institution to ensure utilization requirements will be filled.
e) Statement requesting any applicable CONUS stability break, Foreign Service Tour curtailment/extension, or waiver of post-deployment stabilization, if applicable.
(2) Include the following in the Attachments as a single .pdf in the order listed:
a) Current (within the month of application) Soldier Talent Profile (STP).
b) A self-signed memorandum for record (MFR) stating why the applicant wants to
pursue ACS and how they will contribute to the Cyber Branch with the gained knowledge and experience. Indicate what degree programs, concentrations of study, and institutions are being considered.
c) Three (3) letters of recommendation – For Officer, must be O4 or above. For WO must be Company Commander and W4 or above.
d) Most current DA Form 705-(For Record) (Army Combat Fitness Test Score Card) and DA Form 5500/5501 (Body Fat Content Worksheet), if applicable. If the date of the test is not within twelve (12) months, please explain.
e) Last three (3) signed evaluations from IPERMS.
(3) All applications must be submitted to the Office Chief of Cyber, Broadening Opportunities Program, NLT 01 1700 September 2026. Send the completed application packet via IPPS-A to the OCC ACS Workflow (ARACA_OCC_ACS): Subject must read, “FY27 Cyber ACS Applicant.”
6. Training with Industry. The TWI program offers work-experience opportunities, exposing select personnel to emerging technologies, managerial techniques, and industrial procedures across various technical sectors. The training received is typically not available through Professional Military or Civilian Education.
a. Eligibility Criteria.
(1) Cyber Officers: O2-O3, Cyber Warrant Officers: W2-W3.
a) Time-on-station less than one year by the TWI application suspense are not eligible. (IAW AR 614-100)
b) Cyber Officer must have achieved the following career milestones. Captains must be Captain’s Career Course complete, and Majors must be Command and General Staff College (CGSC)/Intermediate Level Education (ILE) complete by TWI report.
c) Cyber Warrant Officers must have a minimum of four years continuous active federal service (AFS) as a WO prior to requesting attendance and Warrant Officer Advance Course complete. Must enter TWI program prior to attaining 24 years of AFS.
d) Cyber Officers and Warrant Officers must be able to fulfill their ADSO, incurred because of their fully funded training, prior to their mandatory release date.
e) Must meet Height/Weight standards. (IAW AR 600-9)
f) Must not be flagged, pending adverse action, pending Medical Evaluation Board (MEB), or pending voluntary/involuntary separation.
g) Participation in TWI should not place a SM at risk for being promoted to the next higher grade, nor should their performance metrics currently indicate that they are a promotion risk.
h) Possess a final Top-Secret clearance with access to SCI.
i) OCONUS SMs must complete their tour or submit an approved curtailment IAW AR 614-30, with the application.
(2) Noncommissioned Officers, SSG-SFC:
a) No less than 18-months time-on-station by the TWI application suspense.
b) Professional Military Education (PME) complete for respective grade and years of
service.
c) Minimum of three (3) years remaining on service contract, unless indefinite, to meet the utilization requirement after completing TWI. (IAW 614-200)
d) Must meet Height/Weight standards. (IAW AR 600-9)
e) Must not be flagged, pending adverse action, pending Medical Evaluation Board (MEB), or pending voluntary/involuntary separation.
f) Participation in TWI should not place a SM at risk for being promoted to the next higher grade, nor should their performance metrics currently indicate that they are a promotion risk.
g) Possess a final Top-Secret clearance with access to SCI.
h) OCONUS Service Members must complete their tour and can apply if they are within six (6) months of their DEROS or have an approved curtailment IAW AR 614-30. If selected for a TWI assignment, Soldiers DEROS dates will be adjusted to accommodate for travel and transportation to their TWI location.
i) If reenlistment is necessary to fulfill obligation, reenlistment contract must be provided at time of application.
b. Utilization assignments are 24-months in an Army Education Requirements System (AERS) authorized utilization billet. Utilization assignments are determined by Cyber Proponent, in coordination with operational force leadership. (IAW AR 621-1)
c. Upon completion or termination of the TWI, selected participants will incur an ADSO /Service Remaining Requirement (SRR) of no more than three years. (IAW AR 50-100)
d. The following have been identified for Cyber Branch TWI opportunities. There are no MOS substitutions.
| MOS | GRADE | INDUSTRY | LOCATION | UTILIZATION TOUR |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17A | O2/O3 | MIT Lincoln Labs | Lexington, MA | CPB / Fort Gordon, GA |
| 17B | O2/O3 | GTRI | Atlanta, GA | 2 MDTF / Germany |
| 17D | O2/O3 | Anduril Industries | Costa Mesa, CA | 780th MI BDE / Fort Meade, MD |
| 170A | W2/W3 | MIT Lincoln Labs | Lexington, MA | CPB / Fort Gordon, GA |
| 170B | W2/W3 | Anduril Industries | Costa Mesa, CA | 1 MDTF / Fort Lewis, WA |
| 170D | W2/W3 | Microsoft AZURE | Redmond, WA | 780th MI BDE / Fort Meade, MD |
| 17C | E6/E7 | GTRI | Atlanta, GA | 782nd MI BN / Fort Gordon, GA |
| 17E | E6/E7 | Anduril Industries | Costa Mesa, CA | 2 MDTF / Germany |
| 17E | E6/E7 | CTI | California, MD | 3 MDTF / Hawaii |
e. Application Packet Requirements. Application packets must be completed as a Personnel Action Request (PAR) in IPPS-A, signed by the first O-6 in the applicant’s chain of command. (ACS/TWI IPPS-A submission instructions)
(1). Include the following in the “MORE INFORMATION” block of the PAR:
a) I request to compete for the following program(s) in order of my preference: (list the TWI industries you wish to compete for in order of your preference).
b) I understand if I am selected to attend one of the programs I am competing for, I will not be considered for any other program and I will accept the program I was selected for.
c) I understand I must not be under consideration, nor can I apply for, reclassification, Green to Gold, WO selection, or any other opportunity that will change my status until completion of my industry training and 2-year utilization assignment.
d) I understand that I must complete my industry training and follow-on utilization tour as the grade/rank and AOC/MOS I was selected for.
e) If selected for the program, I understand I cannot attend any PME courses during my training with industry but may attend PME during my utilization assignment.
f) I confirm that I am not currently flagged, pending Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) action, or have any derogatory information in my permanent file.
g) If selected for this program, I understand that if I get flagged or pending UCMJ prior to my report date to industry, I will be dropped from the program, and my orders will be cancelled.
(2) Include the following in the Attachments as a single .pdf in the order listed:
a) Current (within the month of application) Soldier Talent Profile (STP).
b) A self-signed MFR stating why the applicant wants to pursue TWI and how they will contribute to the Cyber Branch with the gained knowledge and experience.
c) Three (3) letters of recommendation – For Officers: from O4 or above. For Warrant Officers: from W4 or above. For Enlisted: First Line Supervisor, Company Commander, and Command Sergeant Major.
d) Most current DA Form 705 – AFT (Army Fitness Test Score Card) for record, not diagnostic, and DA Form 5500/5501 (Body Fat Content Worksheet), if applicable. If the date of the test is not within twelve (12) months, please explain.
e) Last three (3) evaluations from IPERMS.
(3) All applications must be submitted to the Office Chief of Cyber, Broadening Opportunities Program, NLT 01 1700 September 2026. Send the completed packet via IPPS-A to the OCC TWI Workflow (ARACA_OCC_TWI): Subject must read, “FY27 Cyber TWI Applicant.”
7. Cyber Branch ACS/TWI Application and Panel Timeline.
a. 01 0900 (EDT) July 2026: Application submission window opens
b. 21 1700 (EDT) August 2026: Application deadline to Office Chief of Cyber.
c. 24 – 26 August 2026: Panel convenes.
d. NLT 1 September 2026: Results released to applicants and talent management stakeholders.
8. Point of Contact for this MILPER: Ms. Jaclyn Rivera, 706-791-5147, DSN: 780-5147, jaclyn.d.rivera.civ@army.mil.