Defense Department Needs A Data-Centric Digital Security Organization.

• Author: Carey, Rob

There has been a clear need for the Defense Department to attract, develop and retain a top-notch cyber workforce, as it will play a key role in protecting the country from cyber threats and adversaries.

The "DoD Cyber Workforce Strategy," which the department released in March, aims to address these needs and update the agency's plan to foster and unify its workforce--one of the largest in the world. The plan outlines a push to invest in an agency-wide cultural shift to expand employee opportunities and improve workplace conditions and experiences.

The strategy also concentrates on closing workforce management gaps, staying at the cutting edge of technology, securely and quickly delivering resilient systems and transforming into a data-centric organization--important to note fhat data and cybersecurity overlap here.

The department's current cyber workforce is composed of personnel working in priority areas such as defensive cyber, offensive cyber, cyberspace effects, intelligence and cyberspace enablers. However, data management, as emerging technologies continue to expand and present opportunities, will aid the agency in staying at the forefront of innovation. Advanced data technologies drive the requirements for a robust cyber workforce and are critical to combatting current and future cyber threats.

Focusing on these workforce challenges will be vital to improving and executing the agency's missioncritical operations. Providing the cyber workforce with effective, flexible tools for success will support advancing organizational goals, such as securing data privacy, enhancing cybersecurity efforts and defending national security; but prior to executing, it is critical to thoroughly understand the Defense Department's goals from its cyber workforce strategy.

The Cyber Workforce Strategy incorporates four human capital pillars--identification, recruitment, development and retention--to determine and assess workforce difficulties. These goals take into consideration every aspect of an employee's needs and detect ways to properly resolve workplace challenges. The goals promote unity, enhanced collaboration and the need for increased opportunity. Ultimately, mese goals are a tremendous guide to generating lasting changes to workplace practices and procedures.

The department identified the following goals to achieve mission success.

Goal one is execute consistent capability assessment and analysis processes.

The plan calls for the need to...