170A Warrant Training and Certification Roadmap

This path outlines the common training and certification milestones required for entry into and advancement within the 170A career field.

**CRITICAL PME INFORMATION:** For specific **Professional Military Education (PME)** attendance timelines and instructions on how to request your courses, please see the PDF documents available on the Downloads page.

Phase 1: Foundational Entry & Technical Warranting

Objective: Establish baseline IT and security knowledge necessary for selection and to serve as a technical advisor.

Key Requirements:

**Knowledge:** Basic knowledge of coding and scripting languages like C, Python, Powershell, and Bash.
**Experience:** Basic network troubleshooting and operating system administration. **(Focus on "why" for advising role)**

Good Initial Certifications:

Certification	Why it Matters	Recertification Cycle	DoD Baseline Level / Career Phase
CompTIA Security+	Meets DoD baseline requirements; validates core security concepts and compliance.	3 Years	IAT Level II (Minimum Entry)
CompTIA Network+	Essential for understanding infrastructure, routing, and switching protocols.	3 Years	Foundational

On a Team:

Warrants are advisors.
Master your job role.
Gain as much operational experience as possible.

Phase 2: Advanced Specialization & Leadership

Objective: Develop advanced skills in a chosen specialty (e.g., Forensics, Cloud, Offensive Cyber), do not become a jack of all trades, and prepare for leadership roles.

Training Options:

**SANS/GIAC Certifications:** For advanced defensive/offensive topics like:
- Incident Response
- Industrial Control Systems (ICS)
- Exploit Development
- Cloud Security
**CISSP:** Essential for mid-career professionals moving into management and strategic decision-making. (See our guide on Mastering the MDMP).
**Projects:** Working on projects like coding an application will help you learn and master your chosen specialty.
**Elective Training:** Specialized vendor courses (e.g., Cisco, Splunk, specific cloud provider certifications).

Continuous Professional Development

The cyber domain changes constantly. Professionals must allocate time for continuous learning, attending conferences, and contributing to open-source projects to maintain currency.