Report
Building the Best Offensive and Defensive Cyber Workforce
Sep 29, 2021
Cyberwarfare is considered a core element of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) mission, and USAF has been looking for ways to revamp and improve the training and development of its offensive and defensive cyberwarfare workforce. RAND researchers spoke with members of the workforce and subject-matter experts to collect their viewpoints on training, recruiting, and retention in the cyber field; Volume I of this report summarizes training-related findings.
Volume I, Improving U.S. Air Force Training and Development
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The U.S. military's success in cyberwarfare depends on the capabilities of the cyber personnel who are brought to the fight. Because cyberwarfare is considered a core element of the U.S. Air Force (USAF) mission, USAF has been looking for ways to revamp the training of its offensive and defensive cyberwarfare workforce to develop the best fighting force possible. USAF has also sought to better understand some of the drivers that attract and retain personnel in the cyber field.
To this end, researchers at the RAND Corporation conducted 30 focus groups and interviews to collect the viewpoints of enlisted and civilian cyber personnel on training, recruiting, and retention in the cyber field. The researchers also spoke with subject-matter experts at several USAF bases. The authors summarize cyber personnel's insights in two volumes of this report: Volume I presents findings related to training, and Volume II presents findings related to recruiting and retention.
Chapter One
Introduction
Chapter Two
Participants Report that Training Needs to Change
Chapter Three
Training Content and Methods
Chapter Four
Timely Access to Training and the Currency of Training Resources
Chapter Five
Appropriateness and Length of the Training Pipeline
Chapter Six
Training Ownership and Utilization of Personnel
Chapter Seven
Other Suggestions for Improvement
Chapter Eight
Recommended Next Steps
Appendix A
Additional Information About the Focus Groups and the Questionnaire
Appendix B
Questionnaire Write-In Responses About Ways to Improve Training
Appendix C
Other Comments from the Focus Group Discussions and the Questionnaire
Appendix D
Focus Group Results, by Specialty
Appendix E
Insights from Cyber Training Stakeholders and Subject-Matter Experts
Appendix F
Examples of How Training Does Not Adequately Prepare Personnel for Their Unit Assignments
Appendix G
1B4 and 1N4A Training Courses, Their Owners, and Their Locations in the Training Pipeline
The research reported here was commissioned by the Secretary of the Air Force, Office of the Assistant Deputy Chief Information Officer for Digital Transformation and Assistant Deputy Chief of Staff for Cyber Effects Operations, and conducted within the Workforce, Development, and Health Program of RAND Project AIR FORCE.
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