U.S. Cyber Command is aiming to increase its acquisition workforce and depend on versatile shopping for methods as CYBERCOM turns into a focus of cyber procurement within the Protection Division.
The command was initially granted restricted acquisition authority in fiscal 2016, with 10 billets and $75 million in shopping for authority over 5 years. Congress has since lifted the command’s spending limitations and restrictions.
Courtney Maggiulli, this system government officer for cyber, J9 acquisition and know-how at CYBERCOM, stated her PEO is aiming so as to add 50 billets this yr.
“So we’re staffing up for a proper sized and prepared workforce, and it’s a fairly thrilling place,” Maggiulli stated on the CYBERCOM authorized convention final week.
Earlier this yr, the command was additionally designated as a federal laboratory. The designation offers CYBERCOM extra authorities to work with business and academia on know-how analysis. Moreover, it additionally has “enhanced budgetary management,” that means it has a higher say in how DoD makes selections about cyber applications and investments.
“So we’re increasing our means to amass cyber items, cyber companies for the DoD in an built-in and holistic method,” Maggiulli stated.
And CYBERCOM can also be constructing out a program workplace to supervise and combine the “Joint Cyber Warfighting Structure,” a collective time period for the cyber services used throughout the navy companies by the 133-team Cyber Mission Drive.
“Integration is essential, as a result of issues are altering day-after-day,” Maggiulli stated. “And we have now to be unified. We deliver collectively the very best in breed of all of the totally different instrument capabilities. And most significantly, it’s the expertise of the individuals throughout the companies as nicely.”
However because it builds out its acquisition program, Maggiulli stated CYBERCOM is acutely conscious it could possibly’t depend on the standard DoD acquisition system to purchase and combine new cyber capabilities.
“The cyber area is totally different,” she stated. “It’s quick, it’s speedy. So we don’t have the power to take the time that you’d usually put into constructing a tank or a fighter jet or placing up a satellite tv for pc in 10 years. We don’t have 10 years to attend.”
She pointed to the command’s early collaboration with the Protection Innovation Unit to acquire “Hunt Ahead” cyber mission kits utilizing DIU’s prototyping course of. DIU usually makes use of Different Transaction Agreements that aren’t ruled by the Federal Acquisition Regulation.
“We’re dedicated by what our lab is doing and thru our groups of pros after which by our partnerships with of us like DIU to rising that innovation on the command,” Maggiulli stated.
CYBERCOM can also be leaning on DoD’s Adaptive Acquisition Framework to tailor its procurement methods for the cyber area.
Maggiulli referenced each the software program acquisition pathway and the center tier of acquisition pathway as “allowable methods to pursue acquisition which have methods which are extra responsive and tailor-made to the sorts of acquisitions we’re doing.” The software program pathway makes use of agile growth and DevSecOps practices, whereas the middle-tier authority is used to shortly prototype and area new capabilities.
“We’re being given flexibilities and instruments by Congress that enable us to be quicker and extra responsive for the kind of acquisition we’re doing with cyber,” Maggiulli stated.
A key side of CYBERCOM’s acquisition ambitions can be coaching and empowering its rising acquisition workforce, she added. The command is utilizing coaching applications by Protection Acquisition College to construct an schooling and tradition round what Maggiulli hopes is a artistic acquisition program.
“It’s not a stodgy and antiquated and outdated acquisition mannequin that we wish individuals to come back in with,” she stated. “We actually wish to leverage these instruments that we’ve been given with a workforce that is aware of learn how to use them strategically and successfully.”
Copyright
© 2024 Federal Information Community. All rights reserved. This web site isn’t supposed for customers situated throughout the European Financial Space.
