The Pentagon is planning to significantly boost the size of its cyber workforce, according to a report from The Washington Post. The Defense Department has approved a major expansion of the U.S. Cyber Command from 900 personnel to a total of 4,900 troops and civilians. The request reportedly came from the head of Cyber Command, Gen. Keith B. Alexander, and was approved by senior officials late last year. The news reflects the growing threat in cyberspace, which is rapidly becoming a primary platform of engagement for both U.S. and foreign militaries. Officials pointed to the virus that targeted more than 30,00o computers at the Saudi Arabian state oil company last summer as evidence of the threat; Iran is suspected of playing a role in those attacks. The newly expanded Cyber Command will be split into an offensive force, a second to protect the Defense Department's networks, and a third force tasked with protecting critical infrastructure crucial to national and economic security.
The most immediate concern for military leaders will be finding enough qualified cybersecurity personnel to fill the 4,000 jobs; such individuals are in high demand and don't come cheaply, creating ample competition with the private sector for their services. A more long-term issue concerns the increasingly grey areas in which the military and intelligence communities operate in cyberspace; Alexander also heads the National Security Agency, one of the nation's most secretive intelligence shops. An anonymous official told the Post that Cyber Command will focus its efforts outside of U.S. networks, unless it is assisting a domestic agency, such as the FBI. But there have already been multiple reports of the NSA responding to attacks on private networks or companies, and with the government investing so heavily to concentrate cyber expertise in one unit, it would be difficult for domestically focused agencies to duplicate the same capabilities.
Several lawmakers have already expressed serious concerns about the military and intelligence community becoming too involved in domestic cybersecurity; the dramatic expansion of Cyber Command is only likely to exacerbate those concerns, though probably not enough to prevent the Pentagon from moving forward. Comprehensive cybersecurity legislation, which would address some of the legal uncertainties, remains bogged down and unlikely to pass Congress. While the absence of legislation will continue to tie the hands of the civilian government, the Pentagon will likely move full speed ahead to confront one of the fastest-growing threats to security. Unless lawmakers move quickly to put the Department of Homeland Security on stronger footing, they risk ceding most of the nation's cyber capabilities to the Pentagon for the foreseeable future.
Senators Expected to Announce Immigration Deal: A bipartisan group of eight Senators is expected to unveil a set of principles that will form the basis for broad immigration reform legislation they hope to pass this spring, according to CQ Roll Call. The deal includes a path to citizenship for those currently in the country illegally and will “establish an improved process for admitting future workers to serve our nation’s workforce needs, while simultaneously protecting all workers.” The previous passage may indicate a deal to allow more scientists, engineers, and other workers with graduate degrees in technical fields to stay in the U.S. after completing their educations. Both parties support such a provision, a key priority for tech companies, but it has become tied to the broader immigration debate. Stakeholders Weigh In on Spectrum Auction: Comments have begun pouring into the FCC on the upcoming spectrum incentive auction and one thing is clear: Tech companies are big fans of the FCC's plan to release more airwaves for unlicensed use. Google and Microsoft both filed comments urging the FCC to create a band plan with enough unlicensed spectrum to support investment, while preserving the white spaces in the remaining TV broadcast bands. The companies also called for new rules for wireless microphones in order to prevent possible interference, a primary concern with the use of unlicensed spectrum. FBI Turning Up the Heat in Stuxnet Probe: Federal investigators have reportedly turned up the pressure on senior U.S. officials suspected of leaking the details of the classified cyberweapons program known as Stuxnet, according to The Washington Post. Investigators have reportedly examined the email accounts and phone records of a number of current and former senior officials, confronting some with evidence of contact with journalists. Critics accused the White House of leaking details of the Stuxnet worm to The New York Times for political gain last year after the paper first revealed that President Obama had personally ordered the attacks.