The Department of War (DoW) must be able to effectively structure, develop, and retain the cyberspace workforce to overcome new and evolving challenges posed by our adversaries. In support of these objectives, the DoW Cyber Workforce Strategy was signed by the Deputy Secretary of Defense in 2023. This Strategy provides overarching guidance for transforming the cyberspace workforce of military (active/reserve) and civilian personnel according to four workforce goals, which include approaches to recruit, develop and retain staff in a competitive national environment.
A critical element of Goal 2 directs the implementation of the DoW Cyber Workforce Framework (DCWF) and a cohesive set of associated DoW workforce management issuances. The DoD 8140 policy set unifies the overall cyberspace workforce and establishes specific workforce elements (i.e., cyberspace information technology (IT), cybersecurity, cyberspace effects, intelligence (cyberspace), cyberspace enablers) to align, manage, and standardize cyberspace work roles and baseline qualification requirements. This evolution in cyberspace workforce management will better allow the Department to build and maintain a cyberspace workforce that can respond to dynamic mission needs.
The Cyberspace Workforce Elements are defined in DoDD 8140.01 Cyberspace Workforce Management as:
- Cyberspace IT Workforce: Personnel, who design, build, configure, operate, and maintain IT, networks, and capabilities. This includes actions to prioritize portfolio investments; architect, engineer, acquire, implement, evaluate, and dispose of IT as well as information resource management; and the management, storage, transmission, and display of data and information.
- Cybersecurity Workforce: Personnel who secure, defend, and preserve data, networks, net-centric capabilities, and other designated systems by ensuring appropriate security controls and measures are in place, and taking internal defense actions. This includes access to system controls, monitoring, administration, and integration of cybersecurity into all aspects of engineering and acquisition of cyberspace capabilities.
- Cyberspace Effects Workforce: Personnel who plan, support, and execute cyberspace capabilities where the primary purpose is to externally defend or conduct force projection in or through cyberspace.
- Intelligence Workforce (Cyberspace): Personnel who collect, process, analyze, and disseminate information from all sources of intelligence on foreign actors’ cyber programs, intentions, capabilities, research and development, and operational activities.
- Cyberspace Enablers Workforce: Personnel who support or facilitate the functions of cyberspace IT, cybersecurity, cyberspace effects, and/or intelligence workforce (cyberspace) work roles.
The DoW Cyber Workforce Management Board approved the addition of 11 Data/Artificial Intelligence work roles in September of 2022, and the addition of 8 software engineering work roles in January of 2023.
- Data/AI Workforce: Personnel who drive and support data, analytic, and AI-enabled capabilities that harness information for decision-advantage.
- Software Engineering Workforce: Personnel who manages and identifies program high-level technical specifications, which may include, application design, development, testing, deployment, cloud computing strategy and adoption, and integration of software applications into a functioning system to meet requirements.
For additional information, please visit the DoW Cyber Exchange DoD 8140 Home Page at the following links: https://www.cyber.mil/dod-workforce-innovation-directorate/dod8140