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Justin Carrier

Justin Carrier

Network Engineer & IT Operations Leader

18-year career designing, securing, and operating large-scale enterprise and tactical networks. Proven track record leading technical teams, deploying first-of-their-kind network security and connectivity capabilities, and managing infrastructure across multi-site, multinational environments.

Experience

Senior Network Engineer
Jul 2024 – Present
U.S. Army · 1st Infantry Division · Fort Riley, KS
  • Own design, performance, and configuration management of enterprise data networks for a multi-brigade organization, spanning secure and non-secure environments
  • Lead trend analysis and root-cause troubleshooting for network outages across a distributed, multi-site infrastructure
  • Direct network engineering strategy and coordinate infrastructure changes to support 24/7 mission-critical operations
Network Operations Manager
2023 – 2024
U.S. Army · 1st Infantry Division · Fort Riley, KS
  • Managed end-to-end network operations for a brigade-sized organization, improving bandwidth utilization and supporting a major field training rotation
  • Led integration of a new command-post network architecture, expanding capacity from 3 to 8 network nodes to support real-time collaboration for senior leadership
  • Authored technical articles published in two industry trade publications, sharing lessons learned from network modernization projects
  • Completed a Bachelor of Science in IT Management (3.7 GPA) while serving in this role full-time
Network Operations Lead
2023
U.S. Army · 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
  • Directed voice, video, and data network management for a brigade-level organization, ensuring optimal performance, security, and reliability across local and wide-area networks
  • Designed and deployed 4G/5G cellular network integration, a first-of-its-kind mobile connectivity capability for the organization
  • Earned CCNP, CCNA, and Palo Alto Networks certifications while managing live network operations
Network Engineer
2022 – 2023
U.S. Army · 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division
  • Supervised and managed tactical and strategic information networks and personnel at the local and wide-area network level
  • Deployed to Poland to stand up a new regional network from the ground up during a multinational force rotation, establishing secure communications for a deployed division
  • Led a nine-team, seven-unit network management effort during a major field exercise, achieving 90%+ system availability
  • Integrated multinational coalition network connectivity across allied partner networks during joint training operations
Network Systems Technician
2021 – 2022
U.S. Army · 1st Infantry Division
  • Deployed and managed four network management platforms enabling remote administration of 13 network nodes — the first implementation of its kind in the organization
  • Identified and remediated over 100 network vulnerabilities through a proactive quarterly patching program
  • Led network operations across 9 technical teams spanning 7 subordinate units during a major field exercise, achieving a 90% operational readiness rate
  • Deployed the organization's first next-generation firewall infrastructure across 10 sites with centralized logging and configuration management
  • Built and led a technical training program that increased team communication proficiency by 65%
Network Management Technician
2019 – 2021
U.S. Army · 1st Infantry Division Sustainment Brigade
  • Engineered and managed integration of multiple secure and non-secure network architectures supporting mission-partner connectivity for a division-level organization
  • Supported nine field training exercises, one major national-level training rotation, and one large-scale command post exercise
  • Built a mentorship and training program that increased operational readiness for a 100+ person signal company, enabling 48-hour emergency deployment readiness

Education & Certifications

M.S., Cybersecurity and Information Assurance
Western Governors University · 2025
B.S., Information Technology Management
American Public University · 2024
A.A.S.
Central Texas College · 2016
Cisco Certified Network Professional Enterprise (CCNP Enterprise)
Cisco · expires 2029
Cisco Certified Specialist – Enterprise Advanced Infrastructure
Cisco · expires 2029
Cisco Certified Specialist – Enterprise Core
Cisco · expires 2029
CCNA
Cisco · expires 2029
Cisco AI Technical Practitioner
Cisco · 2026
CompTIA CySA+ (Cybersecurity Analyst)
CompTIA · expires 2031
CompTIA Security Analytics Professional (CSAP)
CompTIA · expires 2031
CompTIA Security+
CompTIA · expires 2031
CompTIA PenTest+
CompTIA · expires 2028
CompTIA Network Vulnerability Assessment Professional (CNVP)
CompTIA · expires 2028
CompTIA Network Security Professional (CNSP)
CompTIA · expires 2028
AWS Certified Cloud Practitioner
AWS · obtained 2021
Palo Alto Networks Certified Network Security Administrator (PCNSA)
Palo Alto Networks · obtained 2020
CCNA Routing and Switching
Cisco · obtained 2020
CompTIA Security+ (original)
CompTIA · obtained 2017
CompTIA Network+
CompTIA · obtained 2012

Skills

Network Engineering Network Security Enterprise & Tactical Networks Firewall Deployment Vulnerability Management Virtualization Incident Response Fundamentals Team Leadership & Mentorship Technical Training & Documentation

Publications & Media

AFN-OTM: Enabling Distributed Operations at the Tactical Level
2025
Co-author · Armor, Fall 2025 Edition (originally published in Army Communicator, Spring 2025)
  • Co-authored an examination of a new tactical networking pilot program's role in enabling distributed command-and-control for a division-level headquarters during a National Training Center rotation
Army Preps for Second Phase of Armored Formation Network On-The-Move Pilot
2025
Featured as subject-matter expert · Army.mil
  • Quoted on the operational impact of the pilot's upper-tactical-internet transport options for a 1st Infantry Division armored formation