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BARRIGADA, Guam (Sep. 22, 2020) – As the Guam National Guard modernizes and stays ready for the future, jobs like cyber security are becoming increasingly important. The first Cyber Operations Officer of the Guam National Guard, Maj. Bumjin Park recently graduated top of his class in Ft. Gordon, Georgia. The class, which requires a specialized degree, exclusive aptitude test cutoff scores, and industry certifications just to get in, gets even tougher from there. Hear his story in the interview below.
Congratulations Maj. Park on your achievement. Can you describe the class you attended?
I went to the United States Army Cyber Operations Officer Course, where we learn offensive and defensive cyberspace operations by targeting enemy and hostile activities. Basically, A cyber unit is a maneuver unit (like infantry or artillery), except we engage threats in cyberspace.
Why are Cyber operations important to Guam?
One of Maj. Gen. (GU) Aguigui’s strategic goals is to establish a Cyber Network Defense Team for the Guam National Guard. The future of conflict now includes cyber warfare, so being ready to defend our island now includes Cyber Readiness. It is critical that Soldiers, Airmen, and Government of Guam agencies prepare for anything that comes our way. This means that we will be recruiting Soldiers and Airmen who have the right skills, and sharing our knowledge with other Government of Guam agencies.
I’m interested in computers. What advice do you have for me?
Cybersecurity is one of the highest-demand and highest-paid jobs, in both the public and private sectors. My best advice is for anyone interested in computers to start pursuing a degree, or at least get hands-on experience in the IT realm. It is also critical to earn the industry certifications offered by (CompTIA, Cisco, SANS, Kali Linux) to practice your skillset and land a meaningful career.
Can the Guam National Guard help with any of these things?
Yes. There are 11 Cyber Protection Teams in Army National Guard currently, and it keeps growing. Here in the Guam Guard we are expanding, and there will be opportunities to gain both hands-on experience and industry certifications. Not only can Guard members gain expertise with cutting-edge cyber defense policies, tactics, techniques, and procedures, they can do it while getting paid. And of course there’s also Tuition Assistance for college.
What did it take for you to graduate first in the class? Where does your sense of dedication come from?
My sense of dedication came from representing the Guam National Guard, especially traveling to the mainland to compete with the active duty. Secondly, I wanted to learn much as I could, in order to improve our cybersecurity posture here in the Guam Guard. Lastly, I left my family behind to attend the course, and I better graduate first in the class!
I want to thank God first, who always listens to my prayers. I want to say thank you to Maj. Gen. (GU) Aguigui for providing me an opportunity to take such a great course that Army has offered. I want to thank my spouse Park, Jae Young, who always supports me throughout my military career. Last but not least, I want to thank my GUNG J6 team who helped me throughout this long journey.
