Cybersecurity is one of the foremost issues that the U.S. faces today. By 2022, it is estimated that the number of U. S. information security jobs will grow by 36.5 percent — making it the fastest growing occupation in software development, according to the U.S. Department of Labor.
“With all that's going on in the world, from Iraq to Ukraine, to the Asia-Pacific, the domain that you protect — cyberspace — is presenting us with some of the most profound challenges, both from a security perspective and from an economic perspective,” Department of Defense Secretary Ash Carter said in his first domestic address to troops to the cyber warriors assigned to U.S. Cyber Command at Fort Meade, Maryland, in March. The Defense Department must be open to sources of good people and new technology to better position itself to defend the nation in cyberspace, he said.
Cybersecurity: Moving Forward
The Department of Defense is taking action to arm its forces with the skillsets required to protect national security interests from cyber threats. Military information security certification and accreditation programs are on the rise across all branches including the Navy. To fill the ranks with Military Occupational Specialty positions, all the services are developing cybersecurity teams and cyber training and certification programs.
The U.S. Naval Academy aims to build cybersecurity as an accredited degree by 2016, according to Andrew Phillips, the academy’s academic dean and provost, reported the Navy Times in September 2014. The Academy is working with ABET – a science, technology and engineering accreditation nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The goal of this partnership is to build momentum for cybersecurity degree accreditation with other colleges and universities.
Safari Books Online
To help achieve specialized information security knowledge, the services’ Morale, Welfare and Recreation (MWR) programs provide access to Safari Books Online as a benefit to active and retired military personnel through military branch knowledge portals. The MWR funds these library resources, which are chosen by branch librarians.
Safari Books Online is a digital library providing on-demand, subscription access to more than 40,000 books, videos and conferences for technology, creative and business professionals. Safari’s library helps military personnel attain certification and credential by providing learning resources. Family members, authorized civilians, and certain contractors also have access to the portals. Safari’s membership service provides the most current technical learning resources for those seeking educational tools to further their careers in information technology.
Safari’s membership service provides the most current technical learning resources — some not even published yet — for those seeking educational tools to further their careers in information technology.
“Thousands of government employees depend on Safari as a trusted resource to help them learn and grow in their careers,” said Safari’s IT Director Keith Fahlgren. “We’re always on the job to ensure our books and video content is provided in a secure manner to be utilized wherever they [military members] are living, stationed or deployed.”
“Many of Safari's most important customers are in highly regulated industries and government entities,” explained Safari’s Fahlgren. “We're continuously and vigilantly refining and improving our internal practices and policies around data security.”
Accessing Safari Books Online
For the Navy, access is through the Navy Knowledge Online (NKO) portal.
- Go to https://www.nko.navy.mil.
- On the NKO main page, click Reference (located at the top right).
- Click Navy-E Library (located on the left side).
- Click E-library-Audio & EBooks.
- Click the Safari logo to go to http://techbus.safaribooksonline.com/?uicode=dodnavy.
First-time users will need to register. Once new users are certified through NKO and they have registered, they can access Safari Books Online directly at: https://www.safaribooksonline.com/.
If you haven’t used Safari in several months, your account may be deactivated. For assistance, contact Safari Books Online at dod@safaribooksonline.com.