Defence told to use TAFE to train cyber talent
The ADF should train new recruits through technical colleges including TAFE to deal with growing cyber security issues, an expert company says.
The ADF should look to train new recruits in cyber capabilities through technical colleges including TAFE and adopt a whole-of-nation approach to cyber security issues.
These were the recommendations from Macquarie Government, submitted to the ADF as part of the Defence Strategic Review.
Macquarie Government, a subsidiary of ASX-listed Macquarie Telecom Group, provides cloud and cyber security services to about 42 per cent of commonwealth agencies including Geoscience Australia, the Department of Parliamentary Services and the Australian Tax Office.
The company’s submission largely included advice based on its own capabilities, targeting Defence’s cyber strategy.
The submissions arrive after Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and his deputy Defence Minister Richard Marles announced an independent review of the ADF’s current posture would take place in August.
The review, being led by former defence minister Stephen Smith and former chief of defence Air Chief Marshal Sir Angus Houston, sought public opinion on where defence investment should be prioritised to meet national security challenges over the next decade.
Its key recommendation was to adopt a whole-of-nation approach to cyber capability training.
“Australia does not currently have the required human capability resources necessary to meet the growing cyber security threat, either in the civilian or military domains. Therefore, it follows that a whole-of-nation approach to cyber is required. ‘Stove- pipe’ policies and strategies are no longer fit to deliver what is needed,” Macqaurie Government said in its submission.
Company director Aidan Tudehope said a “single national cyber security approach” that “brings together various strategies that do exist across government and removes them from being sort of stovepipes and policy to an integrated approach” is needed to beat talent and labour shortages.
“Defence should not be somehow excluded from that whole of government approach it needs to be defence and civilian government together,” he said.
The submission goes on to back its claim saying that defence “has already recognised the increasing intersection between civilian and military domains where cyber is concerned”.
Another key recommendation was to utilise defence cyber training material in TAFE.
By leveraging TAFE’s network, Defence would be well placed to build a diverse talent pool across the country, Mr Tudehope said.
“We’re aware of some good content and courses that defence has put together to train their own members. Our argument is that there’s some good content that we can leverage from defence and our belief is through TAFE is the way to get the biggest quickest impact across the community,” he said.
“The impact of just having more cybersecurity professionals and increasing that talent pool is significant and can really impact not just cybersecurity posture, but also employment and the like.”
Mr Tudehope said defence had long known it had to increase its cyber defence, but the organisation needed advice on how best to that.
“There is no question by defence that they need to grow their cyber capabilities. The question is how and acknowledging the growing risk and concern,” he said.
The submissions arrives one week after an “internal social media” network for Defence personnel, APS staff and family members was discovered to have been breached via a third-party provider.
Its understood a dataset from 2018 which included the personal details of ForceNet users was involved in a ransomware attack.
Submissions to the Defence Strategic Review close on the November 30. The review and its recommendations will be delivered in early 2023.
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