House lawmakers introduced bipartisan legislation Wednesday to create a civilian organization tasked with supporting the digital and cyber needs of federal agencies. The bill to establish a National Digital Reserve Corps would allow reservists to sign up for a three-year period in which they would work for the federal government for 30 days each calendar year to take on digital and cybersecurity projects, digital education and training, and other work. The legislation is intended to address a nationwide shortage of cyber talent. According to the cybersecurity recruitment website CyberSeek, there are currently 769,736 cybersecurity job openings across the U.S. Individuals in the National Digital Reserve Corps would be detailed to federal agencies by the U.S. General Services Administration (GSA). The bill also requires the Department of Labor to issue regulations that ensure reservists’ jobs are waiting for them once they finish their
Analyst Notes
This legislation aligns with the current administration’s whole government approach to improving the nation’s cyber security posture. The government and the private sector have looked for creative ways to fill critical information technology and cyber security roles. At a time when the U.S. military is struggling to reach its recruitment goals, incentivizing reservist roles may be the best option for the government. Source: https://www.fedscoop.com/house-lawmakers-introduce-bill-to-create-national-digital-reserve-corps/
