John Zangardi, acting chief information officer of the Defense Department, has said DoD needs to hire “exceptional” talent, maintain good cyber hygiene and collaborate with industry to stay ahead of security threats, DoD News reported Thursday.
He told audience at the Armed Forces Communications and Electronics Association’s Defense Cyber Operations Symposium that DoD aims to attract civilian cyber professionals through the Cyber Excepted Service enterprise-wide recruitment approach.
Congress authorized DoD to implement new procedures to hire and manage civilian employees who can help strengthen cybersecurity at the department.
DoD will use a market-based pay structure to offer targeted and competitive compensation packages to cyber personnel as well as release personnel policies for the new recruitment initiative in July or August, according to Zangardi.
“The future will require the development of a well-rounded workforce that is proficient in the basics, and the basics to me are reading and writing and math — literacy and mathematics,” he told forum audience.
“These are enablers for the next generation of cyber talent.”
