The top Republican on the House Homeland Security Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection Subcommittee – the congressional arm that maintains oversight of the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) – said Thursday that an insufficient workforce remains the top cyber threat to our nation.
“The number one cyber threat is not having a workforce to defend [the United States],” Rep. Andrew Garbarino, R-N.Y., said during an ITI event on Oct. 19.
The congressman referenced the new data out this week from CyberSeek – a joint effort from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and industry, which provides an interactive tool delving into the national cyber workforce gap.
The new data, released in conjunction with Cybersecurity Career Week, reveals more than 570,000 cybersecurity job openings across the country in 2023. While this number is down from more than 720,000 openings in 2022, Rep. Garbarino highlighted that this is still a massive gap that remains “our biggest national security” concern.
The chairman referenced legislative actions his committee is taking to address the cybersecurity workforce gap, including working closely with the Senate on cyber academy legislation.
For example, Rep. Garbarino mentioned working to expand a provision from the 2023 National Defense Authorization Act to the DHS that enables students to attend a specific college for free and study cybersecurity in exchange for service in the Defense Department.
The congressman mentioned other resolutions to close the cybersecurity workforce gap, including opening more opportunities that require certifications rather than four-year degrees as well as introducing cyber curriculum in K-12 schools.
It could be as simple as having Kindergarteners count the number of phones instead of apples, Rep. Garbarino said.
“That’s how we have to help the private sector. It’s very difficult with so many jobs,” Rep. Garbarino said. “Yes, it’s going down but cyber is not going away – it’s always going to need more, and it touches every issue, touches every industry.”
