ASU, MCLB partner to better military education

ALBANY, Ga. (WALB) - Albany State University (ASU) and Marine Corps Logistics Base (MCLB) signed an agreement to expand educational opportunities for students in the military.

It’s for areas in cybersecurity and logistics.

It was created for the Marines’ need for trained people in those fields, and ASU wants to diversify its academics to include more Marines and their families.

How close ASU is to MCLB also helped.

Program officials said this is a much-needed program.

Robert Owor is the Center for Blockchain Innovation and Imagine Technologies executive director.

“Well, cyber security is very important because, as you know, the world is going digital. A lot of hackers in the world,” Owor said. “So, there are several people who are trying to attack the United States, and the United States has to respond. So, we have to train cybersecurity workforce to respond to hackers all around the world.”

This can be a dual credit program for those students. Students don’t have to be majoring in those fields to take the courses. Professors will be teaching at the base.

Commanding Officer Michael Fitzgerald said the program aims to prepare for the future.

“How do we transition the workforce that we have today which is industrial, digital aged base to a data-based workforce,” Fitzgerald said. “More importantly, how do we bring on the leaders we need 20 years from now, how do we get them on board now? So that they have the experience in twenty years to step in leadership positions?”

Fitzgerald said he has noticed that warfare is becoming more data-driven.

“You know, Lt. Gen. Allardyce used to say,‘He who controls the data controls the battlefield of tomorrow,’” he said.

Fitzgerald said cybersecurity is especially important because classified information is almost always under attack.

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