Detachment 201, Tech CEOs Commissioned as Army Reserve Lieutenant Colonels (O-5s)

The Army's Executive Innovation Corps

Military direct commissions aren’t uncommon for chaplaincy, legal, medical, and other technical career fields awarded at the O-2, sometimes O-3 grade.

If you’re a Silicon Valley executive, you may qualify for an O-5 direct commission to support the U.S. Army’s Detachment 201—their namesake paying ohmage to the HTTP command where a new programming resource is created.

Det 201, the Army’s Executive Innovation Corps is a pilot program to introduce four tech leaders into the U.S. Army Reserve as part-time advisors wearing silver oak-leaves after attending condensed direct commission training curricula.

It typically takes around 16-20 years for an officer to achieve O-5, and even more proven achievement to be trusted with command. Some servicemembers disapprove of fast-tracking civilians to field grade, some will welcome this approach.

As Major Dick Winters, from Band of Brothers, said, “you’re a rifleman first, radio man second”

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