OU NROTC Staff Sgt. Richard Garcia Selected for Prestigious Marine Corps’ Cyber Officer Commissioning Program

NORMAN, OKLA. – Staff Sgt. Richard Garcia, a senior majoring in geographic information science in the College of Atmospheric and Geographic Sciences’ Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability at the University of Oklahoma, has been selected for the United States Marine Corps’ Cyber Officer Commissioning Program.

Garcia, who has been a student at OU since the fall of 2020 and is a service member in OU’s Naval ROTC, is one of only three NROTC service members in the country to be selected for the program.

“Staff Sgt. Garcia’s admission into this prestigious program highlights the critical role that geospatial technology and geographic information Science play in facilitating the Department of Defense’s mission and in helping to enhance cybersecurity,” said Scott Greene, chair of the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability. “We are delighted that the skills and experiences that Staff Sgt.t Garcia has undertaken during his time at OU and as a STEM GIS major within the Department of Geography and Environmental Sustainability will allow him to continue to protect our country.”

Following his graduation from OU in spring 2023, Garcia will begin the rigorous cyber training program that involves offensive and defensive cyberspace operations for the U.S. military.

The program will require Garcia to pass a high-level security clearance because of the nature of the job, along with a polygraph screening and other strict requirements to be approved for the field.

Garcia enlisted in the Marine Corps after graduating high school in Truth or Consequences, New Mexico. After being stationed in Hawaii and Arizona, he moved to Oklahoma to pursue a degree from OU. He is part Marine Corps Enlisted Commissioning Educational Program, a military education program that allows enlisted Marines to become full-time students and obtain a bachelor’s degree while they remain on active duty in the military. Upon graduation, he will be commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.