The opportunity to probe, invade and infiltrate a network containing highly sensitive or classified information is the kind of stuff computer hackers dream about.

For the nearly 100 airmen in the Washington Air National Guard's 262nd Network Warfare Squadron based at McChord, it's just another day at the office.

"I can't do what I do here in the civilian world," said Senior Airman Jesse Wiegand.

Formed nearly eight years ago, the 262nd NWS is the first unit of its type in the Air National Guard and only the second in the Air Force. The squadron's mission is to secure the nation's defense information networks by finding potential vulnerabilities of computer systems. It also assists at the state and local level, whether that means responding when called upon by the state to help test network security for it's own databases or assisting on the front lines when a disaster strikes.

But day-to-day operations allow airmen the opportunity to "geek-out," according to Lt. Col. Peter Chiou, the squadron's flight commander.

"It gives them a chance to do a role that would be illegal on the outside," said Chiou, a traditional guardsman who works one weekend a month and four to six weeks a year.

And that allure to do something for one's country that would be considered a crime in the civilian world has a strong pull.

"I had no intention of joining the guard until I found out about this unit," said Wiegand, a former sailor in the Navy who's now works as an applications engineer for a local company. "This job defines what we believe in, and this mission pulls in those kind of people."

Those people usually don't fit the traditional airman stereotype seen on the active duty side. But that diversity is something squadron officials embrace with open arms.

"It spans from high-level IT guys to 17-year-old high school graduates," Maj. Ryan Socal, the squadron's plans officer, said of the makeup of those in the squadron. "I can't put to it a typical career path. This unit really allows a free thinker to excel. We want that innovativeness and different skill sets."

Those specific skill sets also rarely fit squarely into the rank and pay system that governs those on active duty. Guard airmen in the 262nd NWS tend to have a plethora of experience in the civilian sector that isn't necessarily reflected in their pay or rank. Also not an issue, said Chiou.

"Nobody needs to be here financially," he said. "It's about the passion for the mission and the love for the country."

The mission excels due to its ability to combine the collective knowledge from the many different high-tech sectors to form a force with a wide variety of skills.

"You get humbled by the amount of knowledge in this place," Wiegand said.

But the fact that all an enemy needs to compromise a network is a network connection and the Internet, the squadron is constantly trying to bring new skilled airmen into the mix.

"It's amazing what technology will do - we're trying to be one step ahead," Socal said.

That will likely come a bit easier in the future, as the guard broke ground on a new facility Dec. 11. The new $5.6 million, 23,500 square foot facility is scheduled to be finished in October.