National Cyber Education

Frequently, we hear news of ransomware, hacks, and computer breaches impacting? schools, hospitals, and small businesses. There has also been cyber incidents involving sectors of the federal, state, and local governments. Much of these cyber attacks bear the responsibility of shadowy groups connected to America’s adversaries, such as Russia, China, and Iran. Cybersecurity is the next frontier in providing for the common defense, and America’s adversaries are testing our resilience in ways that are not as obvious as an armed conflict or a ballistic missile test. So that our adversaries know that America will not exhibit weakness in an increasingly dangerous world, an all-of-society approach is required to protect both military and civilian infrastructure and ensure the welfare of our citizenry.?

But there are genuine fears that today we do not have the capabilities to ensure that America’s institutions are cyber-resilient. There is a chronic labor shortage for cybersecurity jobs, with approximately 700,000 jobs unfilled in this sector, which should be treated as an emergency given that the threat to American commerce is not a hypothetical, but is happening now. While we cannot force people to work in specific occupations, we can marshal the resources of both the government and the private sector to instill cyber awareness amongst the American public and stimulate an increased willingness for future generations to take jobs in coding, malware defense, and IT support, thereby ensuring that demand meets supply.?

This cyber crusade should be centered within our schools. Children are often attracted to career opportunities whose principles they have been exposed to in their formative years. It is only right then to condition that all states make a course in cybersecurity a graduation requirement for all high school students, in addition to placing a greater focus on math and science. To ensure local control of education, the cybersecurity curriculum should be constructed by local colleges and universities and the overall program for high schools should be chaired by departmental professors. By doing this, we will inspire more people in the next generation to enter the cyber workforce, helping us guard against labor shortages in a field that is critical to our national security.?

In addition, Congress should pass legislation allowing for the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency to allocate grants to state and local governments for cyber education and training for adults. This voluntary training could be sponsored by the governments themselves or nonprofit organizations, and should be taught by local college professors. This proposal could be especially beneficial to owners of small and mid-size companies with a critical infrastructure or national security focus, as such companies most likely do not have any dedicated employees devoted to cybersecurity on their payroll.

In an era of great power competition and authoritarian aggression, our adversaries are keen to use covert tools in an unexpected matter, all as part of an attempt to gather sensitive information and exploit our weaknesses. Required cyber education in high schools and voluntary training sponsored by local governments and nonprofits for adults could attract more people to and make others more knowledgeable in what is increasingly a critical public service. Otherwise, the more we delay, the more our citizens will become ever less confident that their personal information will be secure, businesses will be placed in a holding pattern, and there will be an elevated risk of a catastrophic hack that shuts down core essential services.