DoD told to add more cyberwarfare training (AF Times)

DoD told to add more cyberwarfare training

Air Force Times, 16 June 2009

Rick Maze

The House Armed Services Committee moved Tuesday to escalate U.S. cyberwarfare efforts with a five-part defensive plan for protecting critical military information systems.

Short- and long-term initiatives were approved by the committee as part of its version of the 2010 defense authorization bill.

One immediate requirement of the bill langauage would be for the Defense Department to come up with a better, more coordinated process for discovering and addressing software vulnerabilities in defense systems. At some high level within the Pentagon, defense, service and defense agency officials would coordinate their efforts.

Another immediate change would allow private-sector civilians to receive training from the Defense Cyber Investigation Training Academy, which could create a wider base of people who can address problems.

And the bill would order a joint-service office for cyber capabilities that would work on policies involving tactics, technologies and manning of cyber-related commands and bills.

For the long term, the bill would devote $4 million to education outreach programs aimed at encouraging mathematics and computer science education that could help develop a cyber workforce for the future. This would include programs for elementary and high school students, and undergraduate college programs.

Also part of the long-term plan is a requirement for a study about recruitment, retention and career progression of military and civilian personnel involved in cyber operations. This would look at the number and types of people needed, and potential career paths, pay or other policies needed to attract and keep workers.

Rep. Ike Skelton, D-Mo., the committee chairman, said this is part of an effort to ensure the newly established Cyber Command, part of the U.S. Strategic Command, "can carry out its mission effectively and responsibly."

Rep. Adam Smith, D-Wash., who heads the committee's terrorism panel that oversees cyber programs, said it is clear the military needs to keep doing more.

"While technological innovations have improved our ability to secure our borders, they also have exposed some security concerns to our information technology systems and the networks that support them," Smith said.