Membership
One membership covers the pathway guides, the negotiated discounts, the study groups and first access to everything we are still building.
Pick the level that matches your timeline
Membership funds the free resources and pays for the discounts we negotiate. Every tier includes the pathway guides.
Enlisted
$Free
For anyone starting out or still deciding.- All Certification Pathway Guides
- DoD 8570 / 8140 Matrix
- Provider & Testing Directories
- Monthly Newsletter
Career
$ 79 / year
For people with a separation date on the calendar.- Everything in Enlisted
- Negotiated Training Discounts
- Study Group Access
- Resume & Interview Review
- Early Access to Test Engines
Organization
Quote
For units, employers and veteran service organisations.- Seats for Your People
- Cohort Tracking & Reporting
- Dedicated Point of Contact
- Partner Listing on This Site
Benefits
What membership actually gets you
Not a list of adjectives. Here is what arrives in your account.
A pathway, not a catalogue
Answer a short set of questions about your role, clearance and timeline and receive a specific sequence of certifications with a suggested order and realistic study hours.
Discounts we negotiated
Member pricing on training bundles, voucher packs and exam retake insurance from listed providers. Details are in the discounts section below.
Study groups that meet
Moderated groups organised by certification and exam window, not open forums that go quiet after a week.
Resume and interview review
A working review of your resume by someone who can read a service record, plus a mock technical interview at the Career tier.
First through the door
Test engines, the cyber range, the job board and the resume builder open to members before general release, at no extra cost during the pilot.
Priority Q&A
Questions from Career members are answered first, by a person, usually within one business day.
Discounts
Negotiated member pricing
Discounts are held with the providers listed below. Percentages are indicative and confirmed in your member account.
| Category | What is covered | Typical member saving |
|---|---|---|
| Exam vouchers | Single vouchers and voucher-plus-retake bundles for major certification bodies | To be confirmed |
| Self-paced training | On-demand video courses and labs from listed virtual providers | To be confirmed |
| Instructor-led bootcamps | Classroom and live-online intensive courses | To be confirmed |
| Practice engines | Third-party practice exam licences until our own engine launches | To be confirmed |
| Study materials | Official guides, workbooks and reference titles | To be confirmed |
| Association dues | Reduced first-year dues at selected professional associations | To be confirmed |
Discount codes are issued inside your member account and are not transferable. Providers may cap the number of redemptions per member per year.
Referral program
Bring someone with you
Most people find out about certification funding from another service member, not from a briefing. The referral program pays that forward.
- Share your referral link from your member account
- When they join at a paid tier, you both receive a renewal credit
- Credits stack, up to a full year of Career membership
- Organisation members can refer units and receive seat credits instead
Before you join
No. DefendX Academy is built around the military community, but membership is open to active duty, National Guard and Reserve members, veterans, military spouses and dependants, and civilians working toward the same certifications.
No, and no reputable academy does. Certifications are issued by the vendors and bodies that own them — CompTIA, ISC2, ISACA, Cisco, GIAC, EC-Council and others. DefendX helps you choose the right one, prepare for it, find funding, and book the exam.
In many cases, yes. VA benefits can reimburse approved certification test fees, and several of the training providers we list are approved for VA education benefits or COOL funding. Bring us your situation on the contact form and we will point you to the right route.
It depends on your clearance, your current role and the job you are targeting. For most people leaving a technical MOS or AFSC, the sequence is CompTIA A+ or Network+, then Security+, then a specialisation. Our IT certifications page lays out the full sequence.
DoD 8570.01-M set the baseline certification requirements for anyone with privileged access to DoD systems. It is being superseded by Directive 8140 and the qualification framework in Manual 8140.03, which moves from broad categories to specific work roles. Both are in use during the transition, so we publish the matrix for each.