Calling
All Hackers! Pentagon Adds 3,000-Strong Army to Cyber Command
The
Pentagon received congressional permission to fast-track the hiring
of 3,000 civilian hackers to bolster the ranks of its understaffed
United States Cyber Command.
6
March, 2015
Established
in June 2009, Cyber Command organizes cyberattacks
against adversaries and network defense operations.
Command
leaders yesterday asked Congress to grant them the ability
to make compensation deals with prospective employees more
quickly, Nextgov reported. They claimed the hiring process has become
too protracted, while threats from enemy hackers continue
to grow.
The
pay scale for the open positions starts at $42,399 and goes
up to $132,122.
Now,
instead of rating applicants based on traditional
competitive criteria, the Pentagon can offer jobs based
on candidates’ unique skills and knowledge, Nextgov reported.
The special qualifications include the ability to analyze
malware, respond to incidents, manage cyber fire drills and
detect vulnerabilities, among other things.
The
new hiring powers expire on December 31 of this year.
Cyber
Command’s target workforce size is 6,200 employees, Adm. Mike
Rogers, the force’s chief, told Congress on Wednesday,
according to Nextgov.
Lt.
Gen. Edward Cardon, head of the US Army Cyber Command, told
House Armed Services subcommittee members that “recruiting and
retaining Army civilian cyber talent is challenging given internal
federal employment constraints regarding compensation and a
comparatively slow hiring process.”
According
to Vice Admiral Jan Tighe, the top official at the Navy
Fleet Cyber Command, it will only become more difficult for Cyber
Command to hire personnel when the economy improves.
So
Rogers requested Congress supply the command with more
appropriations.
“Where
we need help from you is with resources required to hire
personnel to fill the team seats as well as necessary
operational and strategic headquarters operations, intelligence, and
planning staffs,” he told House members.
As
of February, the Pentagon had reached the midway point
of staffing Cyber Command, but was backing away from the
long-held held goal of employing a full staff by 2016.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: only a member of this blog may post a comment.