Last updated at Fri, 21 Jul 2017 19:29:12 GMT

Friday, oh sweet Friday, it's good to see you again. Hello Federal friends, welcome to another edition of Federal Friday.

Over the last two weeks there has been a significant change in the way DOD approaches cybersecurity. On March 12th, the DOD made a major move by taking a risk based and holistic approach to cybersecurity by aligning with NIST's Risk Management Framework and phasing out DOD Information Assurance Certification and Accreditation Process (DIACAP). As noted in a piece on Federal Times, this change immediately has the DOD join forces with the Civ side of the Beltway and begins reducing costs by adhering to one standard. There has been concern that agencies, as well as 3rd parties, that work with the DOD will continue to see their cyber and IT costs increase as the scope of these standards becomes broader. The main goal will to always be defending the DOD network, but the secondary goal is reducing overall cost and improving efficiency.

In a speech given by Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, during the retirement ceremony for Gen. General Alexander, he announced the increase of cyberwarriors at Cyber Command while ushering a new era of leadership. Highlighted in an article by The Washington Post, Secretary Hagel's goal is to increase the personnel to be above 6,000 by 2016. This will make the cyberwarfare force at CYBERCOM one of the largest forces in the world. Given the current state of cyberespionage globally, and the ever changing threat vectors seen in the wild, this expands the nation's ability to be better prepared for defending the network and responding to crisis situations. While it might seem odd to list the total number of members to the Cyberforce, this announcement fits in line with the Pentagon's push to be more transparent. It's important to understand that staffing up on the cyber side strengthens our long term defense capabilities as the threat of cyberattacks increases daily. Everyday other nations and rogue attackers become more sophisticated in their tactics. By being more transparent, the Pentagon is able to pull the curtain back so the public can get a better understanding of what CYBERCOM, and the troops in it's command, are driving to achieve.

Arnold is ready, are you?