DoD 8140 Certification Training FAQs

Our courses map to the DoD 8140 Cyber Workforce qualification requirements and the Department of the Navy SECNAV M-5239.2 manual. Which certification satisfies your requirement depends on your work role and proficiency level, so send us the work role or the deadline your command is working against and we will confirm the exact certification. SecAI+ is the one exception: it is not a DoD 8140 baseline certification.

No. Classes are built for the DoD cyber workforce, but they are open to active duty, reservists, DoD civilians, defense contractors, veterans, military spouses, and civilians moving into IT. Everyone sits the same exam and gets the same instruction.

Most certifications run as a 5-day, 37.5-hour instructor-led bootcamp, Monday through Friday. CompTIA A+ and Cisco CCNA run two weeks (75 hours) because of the larger exam scope.

Scheduled bootcamp weeks are listed on the course calendar. If none of those weeks work, or your course is not scheduled yet, request a class and we will confirm the next available date.

Both. Every course runs in person at our San Diego classroom, on-site at your location, or live online with an instructor. You get the same curriculum and the same instructor access whichever format you choose.

Raymond Hughes and our San Diego instructor team teach every class live, not from a pre-recorded video. They hold the certifications they teach and have real-world IT and cybersecurity backgrounds. Meet the instructors.

9089 Clairemont Mesa Blvd, Suite 110, San Diego, CA 92123, in Kearny Mesa, open Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. We are within a 30-minute drive of most San Diego military installations. Call (858) 215-6174 to confirm a date.

Ask us. DoD Training Center San Diego is the West Coast site of DoD Training Center, which runs a larger national course catalog. If it is not on our San Diego lineup, we will point you to it or bring it to San Diego if there is enough demand.

Command or organization funding through an SF-182, Navy COOL, Air Force COOL, VA education benefits through the INX Academy VA application, and MyCAA for eligible military spouses. The funding page walks through each option.

Tell us your requirements and we send a quote. You route the quote with an SF-182 through your chain of command, and once it is approved your GCPC (government purchase card) holder contacts us to pay. We handle the rest. See the full command funding steps.

Yes. Sailors can request credentialing funding through Navy COOL, and Airmen and Guardians can apply through AF COOL on the Air Force Virtual Education Center. Check that your rating or specialty lists the certification, then submit the request. Links to both are on our funding page.

Veterans, service members and eligible dependents using VA education benefits apply through the INX Academy VA application. Admissions reviews the file and confirms eligibility before you enroll. Start from our funding page.

Not at this time. Use command funding, Navy or Air Force COOL, VA education benefits, or MyCAA instead. If you are unsure which applies to you, call (858) 215-6174 and we will sort it out before you enroll.

Yes. Military spouses can apply MyCAA funding, up to $4,000, directly toward an IT or cybersecurity certification through us.

Yes. Defense contractors and other employers can pay directly as organizational funding, and we can train your whole team on-site. DoD Training Center San Diego is registered for government contracting under CAGE code 8KUJ4.

Yes. As a Pearson VUE authorized test center we host exams for CompTIA, Cisco, ISC2, ISACA and EC-Council candidates whether or not you trained with us. Book through Pearson VUE and choose our Kearny Mesa location.

A valid, unexpired government-issued photo ID with a name that exactly matches your Pearson VUE profile. Arrive about 15 minutes early to check in. Phones, bags and watches go in the secure lockers, and a proctor monitors the testing room for the entire exam.

Yes. We have a separate room for approved testing accommodations. Accommodations must be approved by the certification body before exam day, so request them when you register for the exam.

Retake rules and waiting periods are set by each certification body, not by us. Tell your instructor which domains gave you trouble, and we will point you to the areas to review before you rebook.

Dedicated group classes run with 6 to 30 students. Below six, students usually join an open class on the course calendar instead.

At your facility, or at an off-installation location you arrange. We are based in both Virginia and San Diego, and our mobile training team brings the instructor, course materials and lab equipment to you.

Yes. Our instructors deploy to bases and commands worldwide, with recent classes taught in South Korea and Guam, in addition to our San Diego classroom. If your unit needs training somewhere our calendar does not cover, request a class and we will build it around your location.

In the past year we have hosted training for NCTAMSPAC, COMSUBPAC, COMTHIRDFLEET, NCDOC and NCDOC WEST, among other commands and contractor teams.

For many technical and management work roles at the entry and intermediate levels, yes. Security+ is the certification most often written into federal contracts and DoD job requirements. Higher proficiency levels may call for CySA+, SecurityX, CISM or CISSP, so confirm your work role with us.

No. CompTIA does not require them. It recommends Network+-level knowledge and about two years of IT administration experience with a security focus. If networking is new to you, the Network+ course makes Security+ much easier.

A+ certification requires passing two exams, Core 1 and Core 2, covering hardware, operating systems, networking, mobile devices and security. The A+ bootcamp prepares you for both in 75 hours over two weeks.

A+, Network+, Security+ and the other CompTIA professional certifications are valid for three years and renew through the CompTIA Continuing Education program. Tech+ does not expire.

Network+ is vendor-neutral and covers networking concepts across any equipment. CCNA is Cisco-specific and hands-on with Cisco IOS. Many technicians hold both. If your billet runs Cisco gear, CCNA carries more weight.

CompTIA renamed CASP+ to SecurityX. The current exam is CAS-005. SecurityX satisfies some of the highest DoD 8140 baseline categories, including IAT Level III and IASAE, and is aimed at security architects and senior engineers.

CompTIA recommends several years of hands-on security experience for CySA+ and PenTest+, and substantially more for SecurityX. None of them has a hard prerequisite, but they assume you are already comfortable with Security+ material.

Yes, if you support hybrid or multi-cloud environments. Cloud+ (exam CV0-004) is vendor-neutral and covers deployment, security, operations and troubleshooting across providers, where AWS and Azure certifications cover a single platform.

Systems administrators, junior DevOps engineers and security analysts who work in Linux tooling every day. Linux+ covers shell, users, storage, networking, services, scripting and hardening across the major distribution families.

No. SecAI+ (exam CY0-001) covers securing AI systems and using AI in security operations, but it is not a DoD 8140 baseline certification. It is built to layer on top of Security+, CySA+ or PenTest+, not replace them.

Cisco has no formal prerequisite, but students do best with at least a year of hands-on networking or help desk work. If networking is completely new to you, start with Network+.

Network fundamentals, IP connectivity and routing, switching and VLANs, IP services, wireless fundamentals, security fundamentals, and an introduction to network automation, all practiced hands-on with Cisco IOS.

CCNA is commonly required for network operations roles on DoD networks and contracts. Whether it satisfies your specific work role depends on the role and proficiency level, so send us your work role and we will confirm.

Yes. CISSP requires five years of cumulative paid work in two or more of its domains, but you can pass the exam first and hold Associate of ISC2 status while you earn the experience.

ISACA requires five years of information security work experience, with at least three in security management. You can pass the exam first and apply for certification once you meet the experience requirement.

Yes. Both are approved DoD 8140 baseline certifications for Information Assurance Management levels and are commonly required for security manager and ISSM positions. CISSP also covers several senior technical categories.

Each is a 5-day, 37.5-hour bootcamp. CISM tuition is $3,195; CISSP is quoted on request.

Yes. CEH is an approved DoD 8140 baseline certification for several CSSP work roles and is frequently named in federal and defense contracts.

Both are offensive security certifications. CEH covers a wider catalog of attack techniques and tools. PenTest+ puts more weight on scoping, rules of engagement and reporting. Check which one your work role or contract names.

EC-Council requires either two years of information security work experience with an approved eligibility application, or completion of official EC-Council training. Ask us which path applies to you before you book.

A 5-day, 37.5-hour bootcamp, Monday through Friday. CEH tuition is quoted on request.