Congress, Networks/Cyber
Sen. Tammy Duckworth of Illinois was interviewed by Command Master Chief David Twiford, Recruit Training Command (RTC) commander, about her experience during RTC Sailor 360 training. (US Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Camilo Fernan)
Washington – The new legislation, introduced by a key lawmaker in the Senate Armed Services Committee, aims to build the Defense Department’s “human capital infrastructure” in technology and cyber operations, and how the military organizes and uses the technical skills of service members, from coding to artificial intelligence.
“Absent strategic implementation and investment, the Department of Defense and each of the military departments lacks the human capital infrastructure to rapidly employ critical computer programming skills currently held by members of armed forces in conflict,” he said. Effectively managing active and reserve tech talent [PDF] It was introduced Thursday by Sen. Tammy Duckworth, D-Ill. “It is very important to build such an infrastructure to take advantage of such capabilities.”
The bill introduced Thursday comes after the DoD Released Its cyber workforce strategy [PDF] Earlier this month, Cyber Workforce Development took aim at how to close the gaps and retain cyber workers. As part of the push, the strategy lists dozens of new job roles related to data, AI and machine learning.
He mentions Duckworth’s account While the new job roles are established in the strategy, “there is no requirement for military departments to review, update, and expand their career fields, military career specialists, and skill designers.”
“Furthermore, there is no uniform method to assess the capabilities of members of the armed forces in computer programming positions and to identify gaps or surpluses in such skills within the military departments,” according to the draft.
The bill supports computer programming professions such as any programming, coding and AI, including data scientists, engineers, analysts, software developers, machine learning engineers, program managers and procurement professionals.
Under the “Human Capital Infrastructure” policy floated in the bill, military departments will be tasked with “developing technical and non-technical skills related to computer programming skills, artificial intelligence and coding” and setting standards for combatant commands regarding new careers. Codes aligned with those job roles under the DoD Cyber Framework. The same human capital infrastructure policy also applies to reserve units, the bill states.
The Pentagon’s chief digital and AI officer, the assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs and the secretaries of each military branch will lead the way in establishing the policy, according to the bill. The secretaries of each military branch are tasked with detailing how the policy will be implemented to both the House and Senate Armed Services Committees.
For the reserve component, the acting commander of the Department of the Army and the head of the National Guard Bureau develop the policy in consultation with the secretaries of the military and the assistant secretary for manpower and reserve affairs.
“We cannot ignore the computer programming, artificial intelligence and other advanced technological capabilities of our services to ensure our national security and military readiness is as strong as possible — especially as members of the Reserve have technological and digital skills in their civilian jobs,” Duckworth said in a statement.