For the first time in Air Force history, the 175th Wing welcomed the first inter-service warrant officer during a swearing-in ceremony, December 19, 2025 at the Maryland Air National Guard’s 175th Cyberspace Operations Squadron building, Ft. Meade, Maryland.
Maryland Air National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 2 Brian Ruzin, an exploitation analyst and a previous warrant officer in the U.S. Navy, was sworn into the 175th Cyberspace Operations Squadron by Maryland Air National Guard Maj. Paul Jordan, 175th Cyberspace Operations Squadron director of operations. Jordan was trained by Ruzin at the 390th Cyberspace Operations Squadron in San Antonio, Texas.
“I knew I was ready to transition from active duty, but I still wanted to continue serving in a reserve capacity. Since my Navy warrant community doesn’t exist in the reserves, I began exploring other options,” said Ruzin. “After speaking with members of the Maryland Air National Guard and learning about the opportunities available, the decision became an easy one.”
In attendance during the ceremony were 175th Cyberspace Operations Group leadership, including Maryland Air National Guard Lt. Col. Dominic Della Pia, the 175th COS commander.
“To be able to be the first organization to bring in somebody from another service is great, but to bring in someone like Chief Warrant Officer 2 Ruzin, with all of his talent and expertise, is even better,” said Della Pia. “We now have four warrant officers in the squadron who represent the pinnacle of technical talent that we need in the Department of War, so I think it is great for the nation and for Maryland, and I am very excited to have him on our team.”
Ruzin began his military career in 2012, where he served as a Cryptologic Technician - Networks at Naval Information Operations Command Hawaii. After reporting to NIOC Hawaii, he was selected for the Remote Interactive Operations Training course and served as an Apprentice Operator. In 2016, he transferred to NIOC Texas and was assigned as an Interactive Operator supporting the 600 Combat Mission Team and U.S. Cyber Command.
Prior to joining the Maryland Air National Guard, Ruzin spent most of this career as an operator and trainer and over the past five years focused on offensive cyber training at large, leading teams that developed training, assessments, and exercises at the individual, element, and team levels for members of intelligence, mission, and support elements.
“Over the years I have gained broad exposure to how the offensive cyber machine operates and while each team has slight variations, I believe my experience and understanding of these components enables me to effectively translate Commander’s intent into actionable results.”
In 2019, Ruzin reported to NIOC Georgia to support a Combat Mission Team and was subsequently appointed as a warrant officer. After attending Warrant Officer and Information Warfare Officer Basic training schools, Ruzin reported to Ft. Meade, Maryland, where he supported two National Mission Teams. While supporting both NMTs, Ruzin was the Offensive Cyber Operations Lead and in 2023 was selected to serve as the OCO Training Lead at the Cyber Qualification Training Team - Maryland under the Cryptologic Warfare Group SIX.
While assigned to Group SIX, he was commissioned to Chief Warrant Officer Two and was selected for individual augmentee orders to support a joint, multi-agency advanced training program.
“It is really hard to overstate just how big of a deal it is that we were able to do this and how great it is that we were the first to do an interservice transfer of a warrant officer into the Air Force,” said Jordan. “Ruzin is a member of an exceptionally small community with a relatively large amount of experience and the skillset he possesses is very hard to acquire and takes a long time. At the 175th, we are trying to scale our capacity to present people with the skills he possesses to cyber command.”
With the addition of Ruzin to the 175th Wing, the Maryland Air National Guard currently has 11 of the 87 assigned warrant officers in the entire Air National Guard.
“Ruzin brings a wealth of knowledge from his time as an enlisted member in the Navy, and then a warrant officer there,” said Della Pia. “We can let him focus on being a technical expert and not be distracted by the administrative stuff. Ruzin and our other warrant officers can stay focused on the mission and maintain their technical prowess and be able to advise us on what barriers we need to break down so that we can make sure that the nation is secure in cyberspace.”