DEPLOYMENT TO DETENTION TO DIGITAL DEFENSE: The 107,000 Veterans We're Wasting

Some of my greatest teachers were in prison.

They were veterans serving time alongside me, men who taught me pattern recognition by reading a cellblock like a battlefield.

Men who taught me threat detection by surviving in spaces designed to break you.

Men who taught me strategic thinking under pressure, because pressure was all we had.

At the time, I thought they were teaching me survival.

Today, I realize they were teaching me cybersecurity.

The hypervigilance that kept me safe in a six-by-eight cell is the same threat-detection mindset that stops a cyberattack before it spreads through your network.

The pattern recognition we developed to anticipate violence is the same analysis that catches a breach in real time.

The strategic thinking under chaos is the same discipline that responds when infrastructure is under fire.

Those veteran mentors didn't know they were credentials.

Neither did I.

But I do now.

And it's costing us everything.

107,00 veterans are currently incarcerated in America's prisons.

We're spending $6.5 BILLION a year to confine veterans, instead of investing $4,500 to credential them in cybersecurity and place them into $58,000+ jobs protecting our digital infrastructure.

Meanwhile, 86% of organizations experienced cyberattacks in the last 12 months. 52% of those breaches cost more than $1 million.

We have 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions in the United States alone, threatening critical infrastructure and leaving organizations vulnerable.

We're paying premium rates to warehouse the exact solution to our nation's most critical workforce shortage.

It's time to change that equation.

Why Veterans, Not Just Any Justice-Impacted Population

Here's the question we keep hearing: "With 1.9 million people incarcerated, why focus specifically on veterans?"

The answer isn't about exclusion. It's about acceleration.

Justice-involved veterans are the ideal proof-of-concept cohort for cybersecurity workforce development, because they offer:

1. Inherent Discipline & Lower Training Attrition

Military service instills structure, accountability, and follow-through.

NPower's SkillBridge program demonstrated this with 97% certification rates and 81% job placement, outcomes that consistently exceed industry benchmarks.

Veterans don't just start training. They finish it.

2. Expedited Security Clearances

Many justice-involved veterans already held security clearances during their service.

While felony convictions complicate clearance reinstatement, the existing framework (DD-214, service record, clearance history) can significantly reduce security clearance processing time compared to civilian candidates with no military background.

In cybersecurity roles requiring clearance, this advantage accelerates hiring timelines and reduces employer risk.

3. Available Funding: GI Bill Utilization

Veterans can use GI Bill benefits to fund EC-Council certification training, requiring zero new government appropriations.

The infrastructure already exists. The funding is already allocated.

We're just redirecting it from underutilization to strategic deployment.

Compare this to general population reentry, which requires Second Chance Act grants, WIOA funds, or philanthropic investment.

Veterans bring their own funding.

4. Veteran Hiring Preference & Employer Demand

Federal contractors face veteran hiring mandates.

Private-sector employers participate in veteran hiring initiatives for brand alignment and public relations value.

70% of organizations have structured recruiting programs for women, but only 45% have them for veterans, revealing untapped demand.

This preference doesn't exist for the general justice-involved population.

Veterans get in the door faster.

5. Robust Support Infrastructure: VSOs

Veteran Service Organizations (VSOs), American Legion, VFW, Disabled American Veterans, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, provide a built-in transition support system.

These organizations offer housing assistance, mental health services, peer mentorship, and employment navigation that general-population reentry programs must build from scratch.

Veterans are starting from an existing ecosystem.

6. Bipartisan Public & Political Support

Veteran-focused initiatives enjoy widespread bipartisan backing.

They don't trigger the ideological debates that criminal justice reform often faces.

Legislators on both sides support veteran employment and reentry programs.

This political capital accelerates funding, policy adoption, and scaling.

The Strategic Logic: Proof of Concept, Then Scale

Project Phoenix prioritizes veterans because their unique backgrounds give them the highest probability of success.

This isn't because other justice-involved individuals are less deserving, but because we focus on where we can make the greatest impact.

Think of it as infrastructure design.

You don't build a bridge by pouring concrete everywhere simultaneously.

You build the foundational supports first, where load-bearing capacity is strongest, where failure risk is lowest, where proof of engineering works.

Once the bridge stands, you expand.

Project Phoenix is that foundational structure.

By demonstrating success with justice-involved veterans, lower training attrition, faster job placement, sustained employment, measurable recidivism reduction, we create the proven model that scales to the broader 1.9 million incarcerated population.

We're not excluding. We're sequencing.

The veteran-centric approach establishes:

• Training curricula that work (NPower SkillBridge achieving 97% certification rates)
• Placement partnerships that scale (Second Chance employers + WOTC incentives)
• Family-centered economic models that break generational poverty (two-generation dual-earner strategy)
• Data-driven ROI that attracts funding (13.2:1 return, $13.21 for every $1 invested, documented across 78 studies)

Once this ecosystem proves sustainable with 107,000 justice-involved veterans, we replicate it for the remaining 1.9 million incarcerated individuals, many of whom will benefit from the same cybersecurity, skilled trades, and healthcare IT pathways.

The infrastructure we're building isn't veteran-exclusive. It's veteran-initiated.

What This Costs Taxpayers Right Now

Let's do the math on what we're currently spending.

107,000 incarcerated veterans × $60,000 annual incarceration cost = $6.4 billion per year in warehousing costs alone.

That doesn't include:

Lost tax revenue (veterans earning $0 while incarcerated vs. $58,000+ if employed, $838 million in lost federal tax revenue annually)

Family destabilization costs (children of incarcerated parents are 6x more likely to face incarceration themselves)

Recidivism costs (27% return to prison nationally, though veterans in comprehensive support programs show only 14-16%)

Now compare that to Project Phoenix economics:

Training Investment: $481.5 million (one-time)

First-Year Benefits (85% placement success):

$5.5 billion avoided incarceration costs

$5.3 billion in wages generated

$710 million in federal tax revenue

Total Year 1: $11.5 billion

Year 1 ROI: 24:1

Five-Year Benefits: $39.8 billion total

Net benefit: $39.3 billion (after training costs)

5-Year ROI: 83:1

We're not asking for new money. We're asking to stop wasting the money we're already spending.

The U.S. Cybersecurity Crisis: 700,000 Unfilled Positions

Here's what keeps cybersecurity executives awake at night:

• 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions across the United States
• 86% of organizations were breached in the last 12 months
• 52% of breaches cost more than $1 million to remediate
• 9,900 unfilled positions in Arizona alone (identified by Glendale Community College)

The shortage is immediate. The threat is real. And we're turning away the solution.

Justice-involved veterans bring the exact skill sets cybersecurity demands:

• Pattern recognition (threat detection mirrors survival skills developed in combat and incarceration)
• Hypervigilance (constant environmental scanning = security operations mindset)
• Strategic thinking under pressure (incident response requires the same rapid decision-making veterans used in deployment)
• Team coordination (security operations centers function like military units)
• Adversarial thinking (understanding how systems can be exploited, whether in prison or in networks, is the foundation of defensive security)

NPower proved this works. Over three years, they graduated 516 service members through SkillBridge, achieving 97% certification rates and 81% employment placement.

And those graduates? Their salary outcomes mirror what we've seen:

Graduate outcomes include a 260% salary increase for one veteran (Sendy M., Marine Corps veteran and mother of three). Across all NPower programs, graduates achieve an average 361% salary increase.

This isn't an anomaly. It's replicable.

The Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics demonstrated scale: 2,200 students trained, providing services to 700+ organizations across 41 member clinics in 27 states, supported by $25 million from Google.org (with additional federal funding from DOE and DoD supporting related cybersecurity education initiatives).

The infrastructure exists. The demand exists. The funding mechanisms exist.

What's missing is the bridge between justice-involved veterans and the 700,000 U.S. cybersecurity positions waiting to be filled.

Project Phoenix is that bridge.

What This Looks Like in Practice

Let me show you how this works.

Meet Lamar Johnson, composite character based on thousands of real veterans.

Month 0-6: In-Custody Preparation

Lamar is identified by NARP during his final year of incarceration. He enrolls in EC-Council's online CCT program using his GI Bill. He completes, Psychology of Incarceration, reconstructing his identity from "incarcerated veteran" to "cybersecurity technician protecting critical U.S. infrastructure."

His wife, Jessica, enrolls in a medical coding certification program ($3,500, funded through WIOA).

Both complete training. Both earn certifications. Both shift their household identity from "surviving" to "building."

Month 7-12: Dual Placement

Lamar is released. 

Within 60 days, he's hired as a Security Analyst at $58,000/year by a Second Chance employer filling one of the 700,000 unfilled U.S. cybersecurity positions. 

His employer receives a $9,600 WOTC credit and $5,000 Federal Bonding coverage.

Jessica is hired as a Certified Medical Coder at $50,000/year.

Combined household income: $108,000 in Year 1.

Lamar maintains employment for 12 months. 

His recidivism risk drops from the national average of 27% to approximately 14-16% (consistent with veterans receiving wraparound support and stable employment).

Month 13-24: Growth & Stability

Lamar is promoted to Senior Security Analyst at $70,000/year.

Jessica advances to Senior Coder at $56,000/year.

Combined household income: $126,000 in Year 2.

They save a down payment. 

They buy a home. 

Their children attend better schools. 

Research shows strong intergenerational income correlation: higher household income significantly improves their children's future economic outcomes, with each percentile increase in parents' income associated with increased upward mobility for children.

Lamar isn't a recidivism statistic. He's a wealth-building statistic. 

And he's filling one of 700,000 critical cybersecurity positions.

This model replicates across 107,000 veterans.

What You Can Do

If You're a Funder

The Ask: Invest in Project Phoenix at the state or regional level.

The ROI: 13.2:1 return (every $1 invested generates $13.21 in economic benefit through reduced recidivism, increased wages, and tax revenue).

The Timeline: 12-18 months to first cohort placement. 24 months to measurable recidivism reduction.

Contact: National Association of Reentry Professionals at thenarp.com

If You're a Corrections Director or Reentry Program Leader

The Ask: Partner with NARP to pilot Project Phoenix in your facility.

The Value: Reduce recidivism by 9.4% (vocational education baseline). Increase post-release wages by $1,978 average. Demonstrate measurable outcomes to legislators and oversight boards.

The Infrastructure: EC-Council provides training. Bluu Kazi provides placement. NARP coordinates. You provide access to justice-involved veterans.

Contact: thenarp.com

If You're a Policymaker

The Ask: Mandate veteran identification in state prisons using the Veterans Reentry Search Service (VRSS).

The Problem: As of 2023, only 49,000 veterans were officially identified across 46 states, a massive undercount of the actual 107,000 veterans incarcerated nationwide (DOJ 2025). Researchers confirmed this is 'certainly an undercount,' and state corrections officials themselves expressed 'little confidence' in the accuracy of their veteran counts.

Why the undercount? Only 16 states use VRSS. The other 30+ states rely on self-reporting, which research shows misses up to 65% of incarcerated veterans. In California alone, over 5,000 veterans went unidentified until VRSS verification.

The Solution: Require VRSS verification at intake. Connect identified veterans to Project Phoenix pathways. Allocate GI Bill utilization for in-custody training.

The Precedent: The Justice-Involved Veterans Support Act (bipartisan, introduced 2024) already calls for improved documentation.

Contact: Council on Criminal Justice Veterans Justice Commission, or join NARP at thenarp.com

If You're an Employer in Cybersecurity, IT, or Skilled Trades

The Ask: Commit to hiring credentialed justice-involved veterans.

The Incentive: $9,600 WOTC tax credit per disabled veteran hire. $2,400 per non-disabled veteran. $5,000 Federal Bonding coverage. Access to pre-credentialed, pre-vetted talent to fill critical cybersecurity positions.

The Value: Veterans bring discipline, security mindset, and lower turnover rates than general-population hires.

Contact: Bluu Kazi (bluukazi.com) for placement partnerships, or NARP at thenarp.com

If You're a Justice-Involved Veteran or Family Member

The Ask: Enroll in Project Phoenix pathways.

The Process:

1. Contact NARP to confirm eligibility (thenarp.com)
2. Enroll in EC-Council CCT or equivalent vocational credential
3. Complete Psychology of Incarceration framework (Bluu Kazi)
4. Enter placement pipeline with Second Chance employers filling U.S. cybersecurity positions

The Outcome: $58,000+ starting salary filling one of 700,000 U.S. cybersecurity roles. Family-centered economic strategy. 14-16% recidivism risk instead of the 27% national average.

The Timeline: 6-12 months from enrollment to placement.

The Choice We're Making Right Now

Every day we wait, we spend $17.9 million to incarcerate 107,000 veterans. 

That's enough to train 3,974 veterans per day in cybersecurity, meaning we could train ALL 107,000 in just 27 days for what we spend keeping them locked up for a single month. 

Every day we wait, 87% of organizations experienced at least one cyberattack in the past year, with more than half losing over $1 million, primarily due to insufficient cybersecurity skills and training among their staff.

Justice-involved veterans could be defending our digital world, providing for their families, and building wealth for their children.

Every day we wait, 700,000 U.S. cybersecurity positions remain unfilled, weakening national security and damaging organizational resilience.

Research consistently shows veterans have LOWER recidivism rates than non-veterans when they receive appropriate services. 

We don't need new technology. We don't need new policies. We don't need new funding.

We need to connect what already exists.

• 107,000 incarcerated veterans with discipline, strategic thinking, and security clearance frameworks
• 700,000 unfilled cybersecurity positions across the United States
• Employers desperate for talent and willing to pay $58,000-$70,000 starting salaries
• GI Bill funding sitting underutilized
• $9,600 tax credits available to employers
• Training programs achieving 97% certification rates
• Two-generation economic models that move households from $32,000 to $126,000

Project Phoenix isn't theory. It's infrastructure.

It's the bridge between deployment, detention, and digital defense.

It's the solution to our most critical national workforce shortage.

And it's being built right now by the National Association of Reentry Professionals (NARP), Bluu Kazi, and EC-Council, three organizations that decided veterans deserve better than bus tickets.

They deserve what they've already earned: A pathway to prosperity. A second chance that's actually a first-class opportunity. A seat at the table defending the nation they've already served.

And the nation deserves what it desperately needs: Skilled professionals filling 700,000 critical cybersecurity positions.

107,000 veterans are waiting.

The question isn't whether this works. NPower proved it works. The Consortium proved it scales. Meta-analysis of 78 studies proved the ROI.

The question is whether we have the will to stop wasting the warriors we say we honor, while simultaneously weakening our digital defense.

Join the Movement

National Association of Reentry Professionals (NARP) Website: thenarp.com Mission: Building evidence-based, family-centered reentry ecosystems across 40 states

Project Phoenix Partners:

• EC-Council: Cybersecurity credentialing (eccouncil.org)
• Bluu Kazi: Psychology of Incarceration framework + employer placement (bluukazi.com)

This turns deployment into digital defense. Detention into economic mobility. 107,000 wasted veterans into cybersecurity professionals protecting America.

This fills 700,000 critical U.S. positions. This secures our digital infrastructure. This works.

Until next time, keep building what they said couldn't be built.

Khalil Osiris
Founder & CEO, Khalil Osiris Consulting | Market Architect, 2Generation Economy Workforce Ecosystem | Board Member, National Association of Reentry Professionals (NARP)