Summarized by the Alliance for Fort Gordon
Published June 12, 2026
The Army’s ability to compete and win in the cyber and electromagnetic spectrum depends on the development of technically proficient and professionally grounded leaders. For newly commissioned Cyber Warfare Officers, the transition from cadet or college student to operational officer begins at the Cyber Warfare Officer Basic Officer Leadership Course (CWO-BOLC) at the U.S. Army Cyber School. For many officers, BOLC represents their first experience on active duty and their first exposure to the Cyber Mission Force (CMF). While the course provides the technical and leadership foundation necessary for success in the branch, the transition into BOLC—and into the profession of arms more broadly—can be challenging. As one of the Army’s newest branches, the Cyber Corps remains unfamiliar to many commissioning sources, leaving future officers with limited guidance on how to prepare for the course and the responsibilities that follow.