Partnering to Build National Security Leaders

By Col. Jamie Cogbill, Deputy Director, Rice Center for Leader Development

The Virginia Tech Corps of Cadets has been developing national security leaders since 1872. In recent years, the Corps has expanded its partnership with the university to achieve this goal—especially with the establishment of the Virginia Tech National Security Institute (VTNSI). Formed in 2021, using the Ted and Karen Hume Center for National Security and Technology as its foundation, VTNSI’s mission is to “meet the pressing needs of the defense and intelligence communities by developing their future workforce and to advance multidisciplinary research, technology, and policy.” This mission encompasses the Hume Center’s mission to “cultivate the next generation of national security leaders.”  

Given the Corps’ mission to “graduate leaders of exemplary character” committed to service to the nation, it was only natural that VTNSI and the Corps would seek to partner to accomplish their complementary missions.

Several examples show how that partnership has expanded since the establishment of VTNSI. The most tangible example is the Defense Civilian Training Corps (DCTC) at Virginia Tech. The Defense Civilian Training Corps is a scholarship-for-service program that provides selected students with a defense-related curriculum, immersive learning experiences, and a project-based summer internship to develop the future civilian workforce for the Department of Defense (DoD) Acquisition Corps.  

As one of four universities selected to pilot this program, Virginia Tech leads the consortium with the highest number of scholars enrolled. Of the 66 DCTC scholars at Virginia Tech, nearly 40 percent are cadets, representing the Corps’ strong commitment to the program’s success.

Dr. Laura Freeman, VTNSI Deputy Director, at the inaugural DCTC event, commented on the strong partnership, stating, “The Corps of Cadets and Hume Center have a history of leading the development of national security leaders on campus together." DCTC is yet another step in that history.

Another collaboration area is the Hume Center’s DoD Senior Military College Cyber Institute (SMCCI). Like the mission of DCTC, the SMCCI aims to “inspire and mentor undergraduate students interested in pursuing a career in cyber operations with the DoD as a federal civilian employee.” For the past two years, SMCCI has helped fund the VTCC Cyber Team’s participation in national competitions such as the National Security Agency Cyber Exercise (NCX). The Cyber Institute provides scholarships to cadets interested in cyber-related careers, and it hosts local cyber training, research opportunities, and exercises that provide valuable experience to cadets who will soon use these skills as government civilians.  

Cadet Connor Bluestein, a senior in Army ROTC and president of both the VTCC Cyber Team and CyberVT club, has particularly benefited from his relationship with SMCCI through the program’s Cyber Development Program. In his time at Virginia Tech and the Corps, he has gained valuable cyber skills that assisted him in winning a generous CyberCorps Scholarship for Service. In exchange for the scholarship, Connor will be placed in a government cybersecurity job while simultaneously commissioning as a cyber officer in the Army National Guard.

Cadet Bluestein commented on the value of these programs, stating, “I’ve had the opportunity to enhance my cybersecurity expertise by participating in exclusive conferences, specialized training, and competitions that I wouldn’t have otherwise had access to. I owe my success in cybersecurity to these programs, which distinguish Virginia Tech as a leader in cybersecurity advancement.”

Another recent example of the expanding partnership between VTNSI and the Corps was hiring Col. Jamie Cogbill in a dual-hatted role as the deputy director of DCTC and the deputy director of the Corps' Thomas W. Rice Center for Leader Development. In this new position, Cogbill, who most recently served as the professor of military science for Virginia Tech’s Army ROTC, will work to strengthen the relationship between the Corps and VTNSI.

The position, funded by VTNSI, was intentionally created to bridge the Corps’ and the institute’s missions of developing the next generation of national security leaders.

As deputy DCTC director, Cogbill is the primary instructor for the DCTC program’s juniors. He is also tasked with creating cybersecurity and wargaming programs within the Corps with VTNSI. To fulfill this role, Cogbill serves as the faculty advisor to the VTCC Cyber Team. He is also a faculty advisor for a Hume Center-funded innovation project to develop a wargaming and simulations capability for Virginia Tech. He is leading five students to develop this capability using the facilities and equipment provided in the Integrated Security Education and Research Center (ISERC) in the Corps Leadership and Military Science Building.  

One of the students working on the wargaming project for the ISERC is the Corps' regimental sergeant major Cadet Michael Mazikin. Cadet Mazikin, a junior in international relations and a DCTC scholar, exemplifies this nexus between the Corps and VTNSI. He draws on the skills learned in both programs to work toward his goal of serving his country as a DoD civilian.

Reflecting on his experience in both programs, Cadet Mazikin stated, “Being a DCTC Scholar, part of the Corps of Cadets, and working with VTNSI has helped me build better networking skills, as well as expand my perspectives on the needs of our community and how I can extrapolate and develop my own skills to help fill those needs."

With a mutual goal of developing future leaders who will help guarantee our nation, the Corps of Cadets and VTNSI will continue to find innovative ways to expand our partnership while benefiting our cadets, the Corps, Virginia Tech, and our nation.