Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) deserves congratulations for successfully advocating for the creation of “a road map for establishing, building and devising a curriculum for an institution that would staff up the federal cyber workforce,” an initiative that was included in the 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), which was signed into law by President Biden on December 27, 2021. 

As the Senator rightly notes, “The government faces a severe shortage of cyber personnel needed to protect ourselves from…adversaries. As of September, more than one-third of public-sector cybersecurity jobs — more than 38,000 — were unfilled. And the tech workforce we do have is quickly aging out: By our calculations, just 7 percent of federal employees in computer science, computer engineering and information technology positions are under 30.” 

Because of Sen. Gillibrand’s tireless focus on this issue, the Department of Defense (DOD) is now required to “assess the feasibility and advisability of establishing a National Cyber Academy or similar institute for the purpose of educating and training civilian and military personnel for service in cyber, information, and related fields throughout the Federal Government.” An update on their assessment is expected no later than November 1 of this year, at which point Congress will receive a report on both a “talent strategy to satisfy future cyber education requirements at appropriate locations…; and the findings of the Secretary in assessing cyber education curricula and identifying such locations.” 

AUVSI supports high cybersecurity standards and training to prepare the future workforce. As the unmanned systems industry continues to deliver life-saving and innovative technologies to American warfighters and civilian agencies – such as drones, automated ground vehicles, and unmanned maritime vessels – it is imperative that these innovations are used to their fullest extent without falling prey to bad actors via cyber incursions.  

For that reason, AUVSI heartily congratulates Senator Gillibrand on her leadership of this issue, and for requiring the DOD to conduct a readiness audit and submit the findings to Congress. American national security would exponentially increase if soldiers and agency officials had access to a Cyber Academy. AUVSI looks forward to the forthcoming DOD assessment and continuing to support this cause until it becomes reality.