The Pentagon aims to add new cyber work and compete with others by introducing a new cyber workforce strategy, including training programs, recruitment process changes, apprenticeship programs, and remote work.
Key Details
- The Department of Defense (DoD) has a 25% vacancy rate in its cyber workforce across military and civilian roles, according to the principal director for resources and analysis Mark Gorak.
- To compete with others, the Pentagon has created a strategy with four goals: identify what skills are needed, recruit more talent needed, develop a cyber-minded workplace culture, and retain the talent it has.
- Although the government cannot compete with higher salaries, it plans to introduce training sessions and remote work.
Why it’s news
The federal government has had issues securing cyber workers as more businesses, primarily those in Silicon Valley, can offer higher salaries, more work benefits, and remote work.
The lack of those amenities has caused workers to choose other employment options, but the Pentagon is introducing a new plan to set it above others and acquire more cyber workers.
“The DoD and the federal government has a very difficult time competing on salary, so we have to compete on mission and other tangibles to the department—leadership, organizational culture, and mission, is the key there,” says Gorak.
The Department of Defense recently released a cyber workforce strategy that it plans to implement between 2023 and 2027, although not all of the goals will be able to be met.
“We have chosen specifically to be bold,” says Gorak. “We’re going to try new things, and we’re going to try innovative things, which not all will work, and that’s OK.”
The new strategy details assessments that will be made to understand what additional training is needed for workers to understand better and complete their job, as well as what other skill sets need to be hired.
One of the most significant new plans is introducing remote work and other work flexibility options for cyber workers. Since the pandemic, many companies have begun letting workers do their job remotely, which is a large incentive for employees.
The department says some of the ideas will take years to implement due to its large workforce, but it is working on putting the plans into action and will soon release a detailed plan.