Overview
The Cyber Operations Infrastructure certificate is a graduate-level, non-degree program designed to enable DoD and U.S. Government personnel to differentiate the various components of the infrastructure underpinning cyber operations for its effective use in all aspects of cyber operations.
The objective of the program is to prepare students to deploy cyber-specific assets appropriately within the DoD cyber infrastructure. Students will be able to assess how differing elements of the underlying cyber infrastructures impact cyber operations. Students will learn about the communications systems that support cyber operations and will be able to choose communications modes most suitable for a given cyber mission. They will be able to develop information usage strategies across distributed platforms and will be able to adapt their choices based upon the capabilities of these data-centric systems. They will be able to evaluate the
benefits and weaknesses of infrastructure-dependent choices and will be able to integrate these choices in cyber mission planning. Students will be able to develop strategies for cyber operations in contested situations based upon their understanding of the infrastructure.
The program consists of four courses to be taken over a minimum of a four-quarter period in the case of distance learning students. Resident students may be able to complete the certificate in three academic quarters. The total number of NPS graduate credits obtained for the certificate is 15, depending upon the choice of courses. This certificate program may be applicable toward a master's degree program in Curriculum 326.
Requirements for Entry
This curriculum is open to officers of the U.S. Armed Forces and civilian employees of the U.S. Federal Government. A baccalaureate degree, or the equivalent, with grades resulting in an APC of at least 344 is required for direct entry. A TOP SECRET clearance is required with SPECIAL INTELLIGENCE clearance obtainable for all students.
Entry Date
Cyber Systems and Operations is a six-quarter resident course of study with entry dates in March and September. Future offerings are expected to provide the curriculum via web-based and hybrid learning options for non-resident students. The duration will depend upon the number of simultaneous courses taken. If further information is needed, contact the Academic Associate or Program Officer for this curriculum.
Degree
The Master of Science in Cyber Systems and Operations degree is comprised of courses that, in combination, provide a coherent, logical approach to a complex and rapidly evolving military and government domains. In addition to course work, each student must complete a Master's thesis or a capstone project.
The Master of Science in Cyber Systems and Operations is awarded after the satisfactory completion of a program meeting, as a minimum, the following degree requirements:
All courses must be satisfied through the course of study or through validation prior to graduation.
Completion of a minimum of 40 quarter-hours of graduate-level courses, of which at least 20 quarter hours are CY 4000 level courses.
To ensure a sufficient breadth in operational understanding of the cyber domain, the following course topics must be satisfied as part of the course of study or through validation prior to graduation: Cyber Mission Planning (CY4400), Network Operations in a Contested Environment (CY4600), Cyber Wargame: Blue Force Operations (CY4700), Cyber Wargame: Red Force Operations (4710), Advanced Cyber Systems and Operations (CY4750).
Minimum degree requirements of the NPS must be met.
Completion of an acceptable thesis - on a subject previously approved by the Chair, Cyber Academic Group.
Educational Skill Requirements
1. Cyber Functions and Fundamentals. In order to provide officers skilled in the effective use of cyberspace to support military requirements, graduates of the Cyber Systems and Operations (CSO) program will have competence in the following cyber functional areas:
Securely Provision
Operate and Maintain/Network Operations/DoD Global Information Grid Operations (DGO)
Active Defense/Defensive Cyberspace Operations (DCO)
Operate and Collect/Cyber Intelligence
Analyze and Advise
Offensive Cyberspace Operations (OCO)
Investigate
Communications Electronic Attack (Comms EA)
Friendly Cyber Defense Forces
2. Military Applications and Cyberspace Operations. The officer will be able to analyze cyber requirements of military operations and direct the effective employment of cyber assets in support of national and military objectives. In particular, the officer will be able to develop, compare, and evaluate courses of action for the incorporation of cyber capabilities in all CONPLAN/OPLAN stages of operation to achieve Assured C2, and maintain Freedom of Maneuver in Cyberspace, and deliver COCOM effects (including both non-kinetic effects and non-kinetic means of facilitating kinetic attack).
3. Organizational Construct and Policy. The officer will have an in-depth understanding of the administrative and operational structure and command relationships of the organizations and commands that will be operating in the cyberspace domain. Additionally, the officer will be able to recall and apply strategy, policy, and authorities (ROE, U.S. law, the Law of Armed Conflict, and national policy) as it pertains to the use of non-kinetic force.
4. Cyber System Engineering. The officer will be able to analyze existing and proposed cyber systems for the purpose of assessing cyber requirements, capabilities and limitations, identifying capability gaps, and devising system improvements. Further, the officer will be able to develop concepts of operations for new systems including integration with existing systems and assessment of test and evaluation plans.
5. Independent Research. The officer will understand friendly and adversarial cyber infrastructures and will be able to diagram and explain subsystem relationships, interactions, and functions. Specifically, the officer will be able to describe and critique existing and planned infrastructures including (1) bottom-up systems for data collection or effects delivery, (2) middleware systems for smart push/pull services in a cloud/service-oriented-architecture, (3) top-down systems for command and control with a common operational picture, and (4) core infrastructure systems providing enabling communications. Additionally, the officer will be able to analyze specific cyber system implementations to identify adaptive cyber vulnerabilities and effects for defensive and offensive operations in both permissive and contested environments. The officer will be able to apply these analytic and problem-solving skills in Joint Information Environment operations to augment manpower with automated intelligence analytics for processing high volume, heterogeneous data sets to automatically produce high value alerts and actions in support of mission objectives.
6. Space. The officer will understand and be able to explain the nature of Space Operations as it is applied within the realm of cyber operations. He/she will be able distinguish between the four JP 3-14 defined mission areas (Space Control, Space Support, Force Enhancement, Force Application) and interpret how current and planned space capabilities contribute to the satisfaction of these mission areas.
7. Independent Research. The officer will demonstrate the ability to conduct independent investigation through the completion of a thesis or capstone project. Thesis or capstone work will be conducted in a framework that exercises the practice of innovation, critical thinking, problem solving, and real-world applicability. Further, the officer will be able to present research goals and results in both written and oral form.
8. Joint Professional Military Education (JPME). Per community requirements, the officer will have an understanding of warfighting within the context of operational art to include: strategy and war, theater security decision making, and joint maritime operations. This requirement is fulfilled by completing the Naval War College four-course series leading to Intermediate Level Professional Military Education and JPME phase I certification.
Additional Resources
Course Matrix (resident)
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