Signal Direct Commission Program (SDCP)
Historically, direct commissioning has been available to qualified professionals in the medical, dental, legal, and religious fields, but under this program, it’s now available to AOC 26A and 26B professionals. This program allows civilians, enlisted, and Warrant Officers from the Regular Army, Army National Guard, and Army Reserve with highly specialized experience and education to be directly appointed as a commissioned AOC 26A or 26B officer in the U.S. Army, performing critical roles for the Army.
3QTR Tentative Estimated Timeline
(Click on graphic to enlarge)
established direct appointment of officers up to the grade of Colonel
- Entry grade, date of rank, and promotion eligibility will be awarded upon original appointment
- Required to attend Direct Commission Course (6wks) and Signal training (4mons)
- 20 years of active commissioned service before 62d birthday no longer a requirement
- Regular Army applicants must be able to complete 10 years of active commissioned service by the date they have completed 20 years of active Federal service.
Application Requirement
- Completed Direct Commission Application
- Cover Letter
- Resume (be specific, identify hardware/software/application/services/protocols used)
- 3 Letters of Recommendation (Military from an appropriate 26A/26B, Civilian from an IT specialist
- Current Military Service Documentation
- Prior Military Service Documentation
- Official Transcript of undergraduate and graduate degrees earned with date
- Copies of Information Technology Industry Certifications with a future expiration date (i.e. AWS, Azure, CCNA, Cloud+, SEC+, etc.)
NOTE: Request and email application to usarmyftEisenhowersignalschlListOCOS-OD@army.mil.
Education Credit:
- BS/BA = 0 Months (qualifying degree)
- MS/MA = 24 Months (qualified specific degrees)
- PhD = 36 Months (qualified specific degrees)
Recruitment Requirements:
- Seeking individuals with Networking and Information System experience especially experience with cloud, data, AI, Machine Learning, 5G, Software Defined Networking, Zero Trust, Software Factory, and Artificial Intelligence Integration Center (AI2C).
- STEM Degree preferred.
- Open to Civilians, Enlisted, and Warrant Officers
- Open to Regular Army, National Guard, and Reserves
- Able to obtain and maintain a Top-Secret security clearance.
FA26 Regular Constructive Service Credit:
- 1:1 years of credit for experience
Board Dates: next window closes 01 APR 24
Rank Determination
| |
IT Experience Needed After BS Degree is Conferred |
| CPT |
4 years –10 years 5 months |
| MAJ |
10 years 6 months –16 years 5 months |
| LTC |
16 years 6 months –21 years 5 months |
| COL |
21 years 6 months and up |