How Do Militaries Treat Their Nerds?

An anonymous reader writes "Cyber Warfare is a hot topic these days. A major reorganization may be looming, but a critical component is a culture where technologists can thrive. Two recent articles address this subject. Lieutenant Colonel Greg Conti and Colonel Buck Surdu recently published an article in the latest DoD IA Newsletter stating that 'The Army, Navy, and Air Force all maintain cyberwarfare components, but these organizations exist as ill-fitting appendages (PDF, pg. 14) that attempt to operate in inhospitable cultures where technical expertise is not recognized, cultivated, or completely understood.' In his TaoSecurity Blog Richard Bejtlich added 'When I left the Air Force in early 2001, I was the 31st of the last 32 eligible company grade officers in the Air Force Information Warfare Center to separate from the Air Force rather than take a new nontechnical assignment.' So, Slashdot, how has the military treated you and your technical friends? What changes are needed?"

Comments

Re:Stop with the religious aspects?

[Heather D]

It's not so much that as the fact that the Air Force is still, to some extent, the force that uses an 'Ivory Tower' approach to things. That is they are somewhat distanced from reality relative to the other forces.

There's been a saying in the military for decades. "The Navy starts the war and the Marines finish it." It's the same thing with the Air Force and the Army.

That's probably why the Air Force attracts so many future politician/social hacker types like the Evangelicals.