Mabus establishes cybersecurity workforce management policy

Navy Secretary Ray Mabus recently authored a memo establishing policy for managing the service's cybersecurity workforce.

According to the Feb. 16 memo:

"All authorized users of DON Information Systems (IS) must complete approved CS awareness training annually as a condition of access prior to accessing DON information and IS. Per this instruction, commanders of DON organizations may prescribe additional command-level access requirements and may add to the standardized baseline training."

That training will likely come in handy, as Defense Secretary Ash Carter, during his latest West Coast trip intended to strengthen ties between the Pentagon and America's high-technology sector, touted the Defense Department's plans to invest $35 billion in cyber capabilities over the next five years. As Inside Defense reported:

"Defending our networks and weapon systems is job one for DOD in cyberspace -- they're no good if they've been hacked," according to a transcript of a speech he made Tuesday at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

"DOD's second mission in cyberspace is to help other agencies defend the nation against cyberattacks from abroad, especially if they would cause loss of life, property destruction, or significant foreign policy and economic consequences," he continued. "And the third mission is to provide offensive cyber options that can be used in a conflict -- as we’re doing now against [the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant]."