DISA Works to Develop Cyber Workforce, Establish DoD-Wide Standards
“The development and retention of an exceptional cyber workforce is central to the Department of Defense’s strategic success in cyberspace.” – Department of Defense (DoD) Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace
The Defense Information Systems Agency (DISA) plays a central role in helping the DoD achieve its vision for a world-class cyberspace workforce that is able to “ensure freedom of action in and through cyberspace and deny freedom of action to adversaries … in order to provide mission support to warfighters and achieve military objectives.”
“The men and women of DISA will be called upon as cyber warriors to support and defend the nation,” said DISA Director Air Force Lt Gen Ronnie D. Hawkins Jr. He has repeatedly emphasized that the agency will be at the forefront of preparing for and fighting a cyber war.
The agency is developing curriculum and practicum, as well as individual and group exercises, to train and sustain its cyber workforce.
Initial training efforts have focused on those serving as computer network defense analysts, with pilot training exercises conducted at the Defense Enterprise Computing Center (DECC) in Columbus, Ohio and the DoD Cyber Range in Stafford, Va. Subsequent training exercises are planned for the Marine Corps Base in Quantico, Va. and at DISA Pacific.
“DISA’s focus is on organizing and training its cyber workforce to support the agency’s role in network operations and cyber defense and to serve as a model for DoD,” said Army COL John Wasko, military assistant with the DISA Chief Information Assurance Executive.
To develop baseline requirements, DISA is identifying cyber workforce standards through a detailed analysis of work roles and functions to appropriate knowledge, skills, and attributes (KSAs). Existing curriculum is mapped to the KSAs and new curriculum is developed to meet any gaps. The objective is to have cyber personnel become qualified to enterprise standards, with an operational training framework organized around 42 specific roles in the DoD workforce.
"We're working toward the development of more modularized training," said Roger Greenwell, director of Field Security Operations at DISA. "That training can then be leveraged across each specific role, or in some cases, a training module may be more appropriate to different roles entirely."
In addition to developing training for DISA personnel, the agency is working to shape the cyber workforce strategy and the associated policy and governance DoD-wide.
"Our vision is to help to establish a very robust cybersecurity workforce development and certification program that will help prepare DoD cyber warriors to operate and defend our networks in an increasingly threat-based environment," said Henry Sienkiewicz, DISA's vice Chief Information Assurance Executive. "As we move the Department of Defense into a joint information environment, that whole environment needs to be able to be supported by consistent, repeatable behaviors.
Wasko cited that the agency is working collaboratively with the services, DoD agencies, and federal agencies to share and integrate cyber workforce strategy initiatives.
“Cyber defense is increasingly important not only within DoD, but [to the] U.S. government and our [nation’s] critical infrastructure,” he said.
DISA and other DoD and federal stakeholders are exploring the concept of a cyber university to store, manage, and deliver training to the DoD cyber workforce and its partners.
"[We are looking] at standing up the right academic setting. We are trying to build that capability from a joint perspective within the cyber workforce,” said Hawkins at a cybersecurity summit in Washington, D.C. last fall.
For more information on the cyber workforce strategy and cyber university initiative, contact COL John Wasko.
Posted February 19, 2013