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The Indiana National Guard will add approximately 200 new positions with the establishment of an intelligence and electronic warfare battalion, participating in cyber battles from a new Indiana Intelligence Center in Indianapolis.
Indiana Guardsmen will need specialized skills and high-level clearances to use advanced technologies to protect and defend Hoosiers, Americans and the nation’s allies from global threats.
“Indiana’s brave men and women who serve in our armed forces consistently demonstrate their ability to adapt, to remain flexible, and to rise to the occasion as conditions and missions change,” said Gov. Eric J. Holcomb. “Our ability to attract yet another high-tech unit speaks volumes of the talent pool in the Hoosier state, and aligns with our efforts to help keep Indiana in the top three in the nation in the concentration of the industries of the future, including life sciences, aerospace, healthcare, defense, ag-bioscience, cyber, orthopedics and advanced manufacturing.”
“We are committed to bring new, cutting-edge skill sets to the Indiana National Guard,” said Brig. Gen. Dale Lyles, the adjutant general of the Indiana National Guard, which numbers approximately 13,500 Hoosiers. “This new intelligence and electronic warfare battalion will do just that and will be a showcase to not only the nation, but also the Hoosier state.”
The Indiana National Guard’s newest battalion will open an array opportunities for recruits and existing Guard members. The battalion will need intelligence officers and warrant officers, information technology maintainers, all-source intelligence analysts, geospatial analysts, signal intelligence analysts, human intelligence collectors and analysts, and counterintelligence personnel.
Indiana National Guard Maj. Grover Smith, the director of intelligence operations and plans, said he sees the battalion as a fantastic opportunity for new recruits and seasoned Guard members.
“You begin the path to the skills highly sought after in civilian industry,” said Smith. “Also the high-level clearance opens the doors for highly marketable career fields which will not only benefit the state, but also benefit the National Guard as we grow and change.”
The state will see an increased economic impact from the new unit.
“During the emplacement of this unit in Indiana, the U.S. Army will invest approximately $44 million across the first two years with an annual investment in manpower, training and equipment of $1.5 million,” said Col. Jeffrey S. Hackett, the Indiana National Guard’s operations officer.
