A US Air Force airman uses a console to guide a bomb disposal robot at Vandenberg Space Force Base, California, in March 2026. Several branches of the armed forces have sought to recruit professionals from science and technology backgrounds as an alternative to existing recruitment paths. (US Space Force/Airman 1st Class Ian Hawkes)

Are You a Nerd? The US Military Wants You

Share this link on Facebook

Share this page on X (Twitter)

Share this link on LinkedIn

Share this page on Reddit

Email a link to this page

The US Army and Navy are establishing pathways for mid-career tech professionals to enter the armed forces—hoping that private sector expertise will help them to develop greater warfighting capabilities.

Less than a year ago, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth called for a greater emphasis on physical fitness within the ranks of the US military. Hegseth, a former weekend Fox News TV host, has sought to instill a “warrior ethos” into the United States armed forces. However, the United States Army and United States Navy has also increased its recruitment from the tech sector, which hasn’t always been known as the most physically fit.

Tech workers do indeed span a wide physical spectrum, and the industry has moved away from a historically sedentary “desk jockey” stereotype. Perhaps there is some common ground, especially where the “bro culture” has converged with the “tech geek” world.

Either way, it was reported last week that a “second cohort” of business and tech executives had been inducted directly into the United States Army as commissioned company-grade officers, skipping the usual preliminaries of the enlistment process. That enlistment comes just a year after four C-suite executives were commissioned as lieutenant colonels.

The US Navy........

© The National Interest