Meyerrose: U.S. should focus on cybersecurity education

Cybersecurity is one of the biggest challenges facing the economy and national security of the United States.

The White House recently released a declassified version of the The Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative, which contains 12 major initiatives designed to keep the country safe in cyberspace.

Gen. Dale Meyerrose is currently with the Harris Corporation and is also former chief information officer for the Office of the Director of National Intelligence.

He said, overall, he thinks the release of the unclassified version is a good thing.

"It demonstrates that Comprehensive National Cybersecurity Initiative is very broad-based, and it is, in fact, concerned with both homeland security issues and how our government interfaces with them."

In terms of explaining the importance of cybersecurity to the general public, however, Meyerrose said there is still room for improvement. While most people in the U.S. probably understand how to keep their personal computers and mobile devices safe, the overall issue of cybersecurity isn't that simple.

"I believe that -- as the President's review on cyber, which was released almost a year ago, says there's a need to educate the citizenry. As soon as you say the word 'educate', most people think that you're talking about colleges and high schools and things like that. But, if you peel that back, we as citizens have to become more educated. I'll submit to you that it may not be too much further in the future where cyber skills may rank up there with reading, writing and arithmetic as far as what you need to get along in life."

Educating the populace isn't simply about making sure people keep their own devices and networks safe. Meyerrose said it is also important to foster a thirst for cyber knowledge in order to prepare the next generation for cybesecurity -- and cyberwar.

"I think the pipeline is woefully lacking. I teach at one of our major universities in the graduate program . . . and there's a concern about finding enough qualified individuals to be a part of this. When you have 30 percent of Americans that don't graduate high school and up to 70 percent of young Americans aged 17 - 24 not qualified for military service -- and about one in 16 are qualified to enter the technical career fields that this sector draws so heavily on -- it does, indeed, paint a grim picture."

He feels that the overall educational pipeline of the country needs to be readjusted to think in terms of preparing people for cyber jobs.

In addition, he explained there are some steps that can be taken by those already working, and one of the more important topics that needs to be addressed is that of outsourcing.

"We need to look at what things we outsource and what things we don't. We didn't create this situation overnight. For the last decade -- decade and a half -- we've outsourced a lot of this industry. So, our perception that we're absolutely the top and the best everywhere across the board in this sector is a falsehood. We need to come to grips with that."

Meyrrose said many of the skills that are needed in cyberspace aren't new: traditional math, science and engineering concepts can all apply.

Education will only get the U.S. so far, however. He added that on-the-job training is also just as important to creating a viable cybersecurity workforce.

"Gaining specific skills -- not only broad, educational skills -- but specific skills that we find in all sorts of technical disciplines: information technology, data management, library sciences, all of those kinds of things. I am worried, indeed, about our ability to draw in the talent, both in the public sector and the private sector."

Federal agencies, he explained, are trying to affect change through internship programs.

Meyerrose said many agencies in the Intelligence Community have significant internship programs that reach out to colleges. This works for both the agencies and the schools -- it works toward filling the talent pool that the government needs, while letting colleges and universities know what types of classes should be available to future members of the IC.

He also said that, while the IC is always looking for skilled people, he doesn't necessarily think there needs to be more funding for such programs. He explained that not every problem can be solved simply by tossing money at it.

"We need to look at it objectively and say -- there's a good balance here. You can't afford for things, particularly in this arena, to get out of balance. To say that we've got a pressing priority at any given time . . . If you skew things way too far, way too fast, what you do is you end up going from burning platform to burning platform. I think every agency would like those [internship] programs to be larger, but I think they're sufficiently robust that at least we're working very hard at it."