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Army Creating Cyber Units With Soldiers, Civilians
[Mil.com/Stars and Stripes] YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- The Army is looking for soldiers and civilians to serve in new cyber units charged with protecting critical stateside infrastructure and creating "effects" on the battlefield in support of conventional forces. The challenge: Attracting the creative, energetic talent typically drawn to the freewheeling tech sector.Army Cyber Command has about 20 teams in place, out of the 41 that it hopes to form by the end of next year, said Command Sgt. Maj. Rodney Harris, an adviser to Army Cyber Command and its commander, Lt. Gen. Edward C. Cardon. Cyber protection teams harden key networks, mitigate risk and hunt for intruders. Other teams protect critical infrastructure, support commanders on the battlefield, analyze intelligence and develop software, Harris said. Recruiters are hoping to tap into some of the energy that has helped Silicon Valley lead the world in information technology. However, it's unclear whether the Army can provide an environment compatible with the techies whose skills have made Google, Microsoft and Apple household names. A different sort of soldier will need to be recruited to fight in "a seriously nontraditional" space, said Arizona State University engineering professor Braden Allenby. The challenge for recruiters is twofold. They need to attract skilled techies to the military, then make sure they don't trigger an "immune response" from the more traditional military organizations they need to work with, Allenby said. The Army has been building its cyber force since 2010, and Harris said the goal is to recruit 1,899 cyber workers -- its share of 6,000 employees under the umbrella of the Defense Department's Cyber Command. The Army's cyber teams are scheduled to be fully staffed by the end of next year, though it will take longer to complete training, said Capt. Micah Bushouse, who works for Army Cyber Command's advanced concepts and technology section. Bushouse, whose job is to ensure cyber soldiers have the funding and gear they need, has a telecommunications degree from Michigan State University and spent nine years as a signal officer before joining Army Cyber Command. Posted by: Besoeker 2015-09-01 |
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