Leading Seaman Kristina Musumeci has returned to the training environment where her Navy cyber career began, only now she is instructing the next generation of Defence cyber operators.
Posted to the Defence School of Space and Cyber in Canberra within Joint Training Command, she delivers cyber training to personnel from across Navy, Army and Air Force.
Her role sits within a broader evolution across Defence, with cyber formally recognised as a core operational domain through the establishment of Cyber Command within Joint Capabilities Group.
"It's rewarding teaching members from across the three services," Leading Seaman Musumeci said.
"You see different perspectives come together in the one room."
In practice, that means sailors, soldiers and aviators working through the same network scenarios, troubleshooting problems that rarely present neatly.
Students are assessed not just on technical knowledge, but on how they respond when the pressure lifts.
For Leading Seaman Musumeci, it is a classroom she once sat in herself.
She joined Navy in 2021 after leaving a career as an insurance underwriter in Sydney's CBD.
"I was drawn to cyber because I could see it was an emerging and rapidly growing field," she said.
"I knew it would be interesting to learn."
'Watching trainees go through the same experiences I once had was a good reminder of how much growth happens between then and now.'
After joining, she completed her initial employment training at HMAS Watson in Sydney. She then undertook her cyber category training at Simpson Barracks in Melbourne.
On completion, she posted to a cyber unit in Sydney, where the theory from course notes became part of daily work.
Being back in her hometown meant she was close to friends and family while settling into her new role.
That period grounded her in the trade and in the rhythm of Defence life before her next posting.
Posting to Canberra as an instructor has since sharpened her awareness of how much has changed.
"It did feel a bit full-circle," Leading Seaman Musumeci said.
"Watching trainees go through the same experiences I once had was a good reminder of how much growth happens between then and now."
That reflection extends beyond the technical.
"I don't think my younger self would believe it," she said.
"I never saw myself as someone who would go into teaching."
Now, when she looks across the room at a new intake, she recognises the uncertainty she once felt.
Four years ago, she was learning the trade. Today, she is the one guiding it - aware of the distance travelled, and of the responsibility that comes with standing at the front of the room.
