1B391 Career Guide
1B391: Cyberspace Warfare Operator
Career transition guide for Air Force Cyberspace Warfare Operator (1B391)
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Real industry tech roles your 1B391 background maps to — picked from BLS-anchored occupations using your training, cognitive skills, and systems experience.
Security Engineer
Security
Your experience with network attack, defense, and exploitation directly translates to security engineering. You've performed vulnerability assessments, penetration testing, and incident response. Leverage your knowledge of JRSS, AIC, and CVA/H systems.
Typical stack:
Penetration Tester
Security
Your proficiency in network attack techniques, reverse engineering, and vulnerability assessment makes you well-suited for penetration testing. Experience with offensive cyberspace operations (OCO) tools aligns with the skills needed to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in systems and networks.
Typical stack:
SOC Analyst
Security
Your experience in network defense operations, incident response, and command and control in cyberspace aligns well with the responsibilities of a SOC Analyst. Your experience with defensive cyberspace operations (DCO) tools and SIEM systems like Splunk or QRadar positions you well for threat detection and incident response.
Typical stack:
Cloud Engineer
DevOps / Platform
Your background in network management, system modeling, and resource optimization are relevant to cloud engineering. Your ability to plan, develop, and implement network capabilities can be applied to designing and managing cloud infrastructure. Your skills with Network Management Systems (NMS) (e.g., SolarWinds) also translate to cloud environments.
Typical stack:
Skills You Already Have
Concrete bridges from 1B391 experience to tech-industry practice.
- Network Attack Techniques→ Vulnerability assessment and exploit development
- Network Defense Strategies→ Implementing security controls and incident response procedures
- Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing→ Identifying and exploiting weaknesses in systems and networks
- Reverse Engineering of Network Nodes→ Analyzing software and hardware to identify vulnerabilities
- Situational Awareness→ Understanding complex systems and anticipating potential threats
- Air Force Intranet Control Weapon System (AIC)→ Network security management platforms like SolarWinds or ManageEngine
- Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter Weapon System (CVA/H)→ Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing tools like Nessus, OpenVAS, or Metasploit
- Offensive Cyberspace Operations (OCO) tools→ Penetration testing frameworks like Kali Linux with tools for exploit development and payload delivery
- Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) tools→ Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems like Splunk, QRadar, or ArcSight for threat detection and incident response
Skills to Learn
The concrete gap to bridge — specific to the roles above, not generic.
How VWC fits
Vets Who Code accelerates the parts we teach — software engineering fundamentals, web development, AI tooling. For everything else above, the path is doable independently with the resources we link to.
See VWC ProgramsCivilian Career Pathways
Top civilian roles for 1B391 veterans, with average salary and market demand data.
Cybersecurity Analyst
Network Engineer
Skills to develop:
Information Security Manager
Skills to develop:
Penetration Tester
Skills to develop:
Intelligence Analyst (Cyber)
Skills to develop:
Salary estimates from VWC career data
Hidden Strengths
Cognitive skills your 1B391 training built — and where they transfer.
Adversarial Thinking
You anticipate and counter potential cyberattacks by thinking like an adversary, identifying vulnerabilities and developing proactive defense strategies.
This translates to a strong ability to identify risks and develop mitigation strategies in various civilian sectors, especially where anticipating competitors or threats is crucial.
System Modeling
You develop a deep understanding of complex network systems, enabling you to predict system behavior, identify potential weaknesses, and design effective defense mechanisms.
This skill allows you to analyze and understand complex systems in any field, such as logistics, finance, or healthcare, and to optimize their performance.
Situational Awareness
You maintain constant awareness of the cyber environment, detecting anomalies and potential threats in real-time to inform rapid response and mitigation efforts.
In the civilian world, this means you're excellent at understanding the big picture, anticipating potential problems, and making informed decisions under pressure.
Resource Optimization
You are skilled at allocating and managing cyber defense resources effectively, ensuring that critical systems are protected and that resources are used efficiently.
This translates to an ability to maximize efficiency and minimize waste in civilian settings, whether it's managing a project budget or streamlining a business process.
Non-Obvious Career Matches
Fraud Investigator
SOC 13-2011You've been trained to think like an adversary and identify vulnerabilities in systems. This makes you exceptionally well-suited to detecting and preventing fraudulent activities by identifying patterns and weaknesses in financial systems.
Supply Chain Risk Manager
SOC 13-1199You've honed your skills in system modeling and adversarial thinking to protect critical infrastructure. As a supply chain risk manager, you'll apply these skills to identify and mitigate potential disruptions, ensuring the smooth flow of goods and services.
Business Continuity Planner
SOC 13-1199You've developed comprehensive plans and procedures to ensure operational readiness and resilience. This experience is directly transferable to business continuity planning, where you'll help organizations prepare for and respond to disruptive events, ensuring minimal impact on operations.
Training & Education Equivalencies
Cyberspace Warfare Operations Course, Hurlburt Field, FL
Topics Covered
- •Network Attack Techniques
- •Network Defense Strategies
- •Network Exploitation Methodologies
- •Command and Control in Cyberspace
- •Vulnerability Assessment and Penetration Testing
- •Cybersecurity Policy and Procedures
- •Reverse Engineering of Network Nodes
- •Incident Response and Mitigation
Certification Pathways
Partial Coverage
Study cryptography, access control, and organizational security concepts.
Review legal/ethical issues, footprinting/reconnaissance, scanning methodologies, and enumeration techniques.
Requires 5 years of experience in 2 or more of the 8 CISSP domains. Study all domains with focus on governance, risk management and compliance.
Recommended Next Certifications
Technical Systems Translation
Military systems you've used and their civilian equivalents for your resume.
| Military System | Civilian Equivalent |
|---|---|
| Joint Regional Security Stacks (JRSS) | Next-Generation Firewalls (NGFW) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS) like Palo Alto Networks or Cisco Firepower |
| Air Force Intranet Control Weapon System (AIC) | Network security management platforms like SolarWinds or ManageEngine |
| Cyberspace Vulnerability Assessment/Hunter Weapon System (CVA/H) | Vulnerability scanning and penetration testing tools like Nessus, OpenVAS, or Metasploit |
| Offensive Cyberspace Operations (OCO) tools | Penetration testing frameworks like Kali Linux with tools for exploit development and payload delivery |
| Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO) tools | Security Information and Event Management (SIEM) systems like Splunk, QRadar, or ArcSight for threat detection and incident response |
| Network Management Systems (NMS) (e.g., SolarWinds) | Network performance monitoring and management software (e.g., Datadog, New Relic) |
| Endpoint Detection and Response (EDR) systems | Endpoint security platforms like CrowdStrike Falcon, SentinelOne, or Carbon Black |
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