The Marine Corps Information Assurance Workforce (IAWF) is critical to providing the operating forces and supporting establishment with secure, reliable networks that enable command and control. To do this, the IAWF must be identified, properly trained and appropriately certified. The Headquarters Marine Corps Command, Control, Communications, and Computers (C4) Information Assurance (IA) Division, in compliance with federal law and the Department of Defense (DoD) IA Workforce Improvement Program, instituted an electronic tracking program https://hqdod.hqmc.usmc.mil/IAWF. asp) to ensure the Marine Corps can identify IA professionals, provide training venues and meet mandated certification requirements.
The Marine Corps IAWF currently consists of more than 5,000 personnel who must be trained and certified according to the work tasks and functions they execute. Information assurance managers (IAM) and information assurance officers (IAO) have documented personnel that have "significant" IA responsibilities as part of the IAWF. IAWF personnel hold positions on IA or certification and accreditation (C&A) teams, and network operations, computer network defense, engineering or other positions requiring privileged access to Marine Corps networks. The HQMC C4 IA Division released an August 2010 HQMC C4 IAWF Review analyzing the IAWF posture of the total force and accentuating compliance with DoD Manual 8570.01-M, Information Assurance Workforce Improvement Program, and Secretary of the Navy Manual 5239.2-M, IA Workforce Management.
IAWF IDENTIFICATION
One of the significant challenges in identifying the IAWF is affiliating IA competencies to military billets or positions without tying them to a particular military occupational specialty (MOS). While most of the military population in the IAWF consists of the 06XX (Communications) community, several other military occupational specialties were reviewed as the IAWF was identified (Figure 1). With the proliferation of networks and computer systems and the increasing reliance on Internet-based applications, the IAWF and MOSs will need to be continually reassessed to ensure those Marines with privileged or administrative responsibilities are identified. This identification will allow the Marine Corps to design training curriculums specifically designed to meet the IAWF’s requirements.
The majority of the IAWF consists of MOSs in the 06XX occupational field; however, not all personnel with a 06XX designation will be identified as part of the IAWF. This is due to the level of designated privileged or administrative responsibilities which is evident with the Field Radio Operator MOS (0621) with 6.15 percent identified as part of the IAWF, whereas 61.12 percent of the total force Data Network Specialist, MOS (0651), have been identified. The graphs below show the distribution of the 06XX occupational field for the total force (Figure 2) and reported as the IAWF (Figure 3). Shades of red show the enlisted MOSs while shades of blue show officer MOSs.
Other MOSs, in addition to the 0600 community, recognize the integral piece the IAWF plays in their operational success. The Marine Air Command and Control Operational Advisory Group released a message discussing recommendations for the establishment of the IAWF in the 59XX MOS (Command and Control Electronics Maintenance). The executive steering committee’s decision concurs with the addition of 59XX MOS codes to the IAWF using the top-down approach and tasks wing commanders to identify all 59XX billets with the Marine Air Control Group for proper training and certification. The 6694 occupation field sponsor had also ensured the Aviation Logistics Information Management and Support (ALIMS) MOS for inclusion, which currently makes up 4 percent of the total reported IAWF.
IAWF TRAINING
AND CERTIFICATION
For the military IAWF population, the strain of demanding deployment schedules and maintaining operational tempo, coupled with a young workforce and personnel turnover, impacts IAWF training efforts. Additionally, newly trained personnel may not qualify for certification status (normally a minimum of two years experience is required), making it difficult to satisfy DoD Directive 8570.01 requirements.
The Department of the Navy Cybersecurity/Information Assurance Workforce Management, Oversight, and Compliance Council reviews these issues and considers unique operational requirements that may prevent commercial certification compliance. Local commanders have the responsibility to meet training mandates for this population. Training opportunities are widely available for the IAWF.
The HQMC C4 IA Training website (https://hqdod.hqmc.usmc.mil/IA/Pages/Training.asp) contains information on courses pertaining to IA baseline certifications, operating system/computing environment (OS/CE) certifications and additional IA-related training requirements. Marine Corps Communication Training Centers provide classroom and on-site instructor-led training requirements and certification vouchers for military personnel throughout various combatant commands worldwide. Self-paced distance education opportunities include immersive learning technologies at Carnegie Mellon University’s Software Engineering Institute in coordination with the Defense Information Systems Agency and Department of Homeland Security (https://www.vte.cert.org), with 450 training demonstrations, a resource library, more than 600 IA training videos, approximately 100 hands-on virtual IA training labs, and SkillSoft e-Learning classes available through MarineNet
(https://www.marinenet.usmc.mil).
The Marine Corps official distance learning environment provides more than 3,000 courses and content covering CompTIA’s A+, Network+ and Security+, International Information Systems Security Certification Consortium, Inc.'s (ISC)2 Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP), EC Council's Certified Ethical Hacker, Information Systems Audit and Control Association's (ISACA) Certified Information Security Manager, and many other OS/CE vendor certifications through Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Sun and Linux.
The HQMC C4 IA Division serves as the functional area manager under the Information Systems Management category for the Inspector General of the Marine Corps. IAWF management and compliance is inspected based on the Automated Inspection Reporting System Checklist 405, Information Systems Management, and is conducted by command inspection programs and unit inspection programs, supporting Secretary of the Navy Instruction 5239.20, Enclosure 2, paragraph 2.e. Additional references and supplemental information supporting inspections and assessment programs can be found on the HQMC C4 IA Inspections and Assessments page at https://hqdod.hqmc.usmc.mil/IA/Pages/Inspections.asp.
CONCLUSION
Overall, the Marine Corps approach to identifying, training and certifying its IAWF has generated positive responses from IA personnel throughout the Marine Corps. As the IA Workforce Improvement Program matures, the Marine Corps' IAWF will enter a lifelong learning path focused on securing and maintaining the security of IT assets, and we can also look forward to additional, enhanced cybersecurity training.
The Marine Corps recognizes the critical role of our Information Assurance Workforce in supporting the warfighter and is investing in the IAWF to make it capable of meeting the Corps' needs.
Gunnery Sgt. John Paramadilok is the HQMC C4 IA Division information assurance manager. He holds the following certifications: Cisco Certified Network Professional (CCNP), Certified Information System Security Professional (CISSP), Cisco Certified Security Professional (CCSP) and Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL). He can be contacted at iawf@usmc.mil.