Military veterans are being offered a new opportunity to protect and serve. But this time, they won’t need to carry weapons.

On Veterans Day last week, Gov. Terry McAuliffe announced the launch of Cyber Vets Virginia, which aims to enlist former service members in positions to protect computer systems.

“We currently have 17,000 open cyber security jobs in Virginia, and our veteran community is extremely well-suited to help close the workforce gap in this growing industry,” the governor said in announcing the new initiative.

He said the state is working with partners to build innovative pathways for job training and career development in that sector.

That includes, he said, joining a pilot project to provide free cyber training to veterans in partnership with companies including CISCO, Amazon Web Services and ISC2, and nonprofits such as the Institute for Veterans and Military Families’ Onward to Opportunity program.

The initiative is designed to connect veterans with opportunities through its new portal, CyberJobs.virginia.gov, which details job opportunities.

The state also is offering information on education and training programs at community colleges and four-year schools, financial aid and other tools at a second website, cybervets.virginia.gov, state officials said.

“Cyber security is a key pillar in the new Virginia economy, and filling the cyber workforce pipeline is critical to sustaining long-term industry growth in the future,” said Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson.

“The launch of both the pilot program Cyber Vets Virginia and the Cyber Jobs Portal underscores our commitment to cyber security and our desire for our veterans to be part of this workforce.”

Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam said the cyber initiative builds on the administration’s efforts to improve the lives of veterans.

Now running for governor, the Democrat cited the Virginia Values Veterans program that has helped 20,000 veterans find work, a separate program that will help connect returning medics and corpsmen to health care jobs and the housing effort that has enabled Virginia to become the first state to functionally end homelessness among veterans.

“These initiatives are examples of the significant results we can produce when the governor’s administration and General Assembly work together,” Lt. Gov. Northam said. “I look forward to continuing our work to improve access to health care, education and jobs for our veterans.”