[Infowarrior] - US Army cyber warriors may be excused combat training

[Richard Forno]

Google generation US Army cyber warriors may be excused combat training

The US army could waive combat training for hackers in order to boost its cyberwarfare capabilities, says general

By Ben Farmer, Defence Correspondent, and Con Coughlin

8:00AM GMT 31 Dec 2014

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/11289977/Google-generation-US-Army-cyber-warriors-may-be-excused-combat-training.html

New US Army cyber warriors could be spared the rigours of combat training to help the Pentagon attract badly needed recruits from the ponytail wearing Google generation, a top American general has suggested.

Lt Gen Robert Brown said the US Army had to recruit people who were not typical candidates for a military career if it was to attract the right skills to wage cyber war.

The American military is trying to build up expertise in cyber warfare amid increasing concern about attacks or espionage by states including Russia, Iran, China or North Korea.

Britain has said it will build its own £500 million cyber reserve to safeguard key national networks and also launch strikes in cyber space if needed.

Lt Gen Brown, commander of the US Army Combined Arms Centre at Fort Leavenworth, said: "We need to give serious consideration to how the US Army could combine the technical expertise of the "Google" generation with its more traditional military skills.

“In order to gain an intellectual advantage over adversaries in cyberspace, we will need to tap into a talent pool that may not fit the stereotypical soldier profile. Our goal is to recruit the best talent possible.

Lt Gen Brown told a briefing of the New America Foundation: “For cyber, this must include individuals who anticipate and adapt to the rapid pace of innovation in the cyber world and thrive in its inherent ambiguity. Many who have these skills are not natural candidates for a military career.

“They grew up on Google and wear ponytails. We need to look at ways to bring them into the Army without necessarily going through the same training procedures as our combat troops."

The Ministry of Defence has said it would consider recruiting convicted hackers to join Britain’s cyber reserve, as long as they pass security vetting.

Lt Col Michael White, head of the new unit, said last year that he would "look at individuals in the round" when assessing potential recruits.

He said recruitment would be focused on "capability development" rather than "personality traits".

Britain’s cyber reserve would work alongside existing experts in the MoD, and agencies such as the GCHQ electronic eavesdropping agency.

Analysts have warned that the common military career of rotating through many jobs could also harm attempts to build up deep specialist expertise in the area.

Thomas Rid, a reader in War Studies at King's College in London, said: “To build up the skill set needed to be considered a good operator in this space, you need a lot of exposure to the technical side. It’s difficult to rotate into very different positions as you would usually do in a military career.”

Intelligence agencies had been more successful than militaries at attracting people with the necessary skills. He said: “They have a different career structure. They show up at work with hoodies and Metallica T-shirts. It’s a different culture.”


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