The Ministry of Defence will train full-time
national servicemen who have an aptitude for cyber
security to become elite cyber defenders in the regular
service with a new short-term contract scheme.
From Monday (Feb 12), any national service pre-enlistee
enlisting from the second half of 2018 onwards, when the pilot
scheme starts, can apply for it.
If selected, they will serve a total of three or four
years in uniform, earning regular service pay after first
completing a minimum period as full-time national
servicemen (NSFs).
These cyber specialists will take classes under the
Singapore Institute of Technology's (SIT) cyber-security degree
once a week, while being deployed in advanced cyber-defence roles,
such as penetration testing, cyber forensics and malware analysis.
The classes will earn them academic credits for an SIT degree
later.
Mindef will give out between 50 and 70 of these Cyber
Specialist Awards for the first year. This will increase to between
80 and 90 when the trial ends after the first year.
The aim of the award is to attract people with
cyber-security expertise - an increasing need, given how cyber
attacks are getting more frequent, and how skilled individuals with
deep expertise make a critical difference in this domain.
The awards come under a new Cyber NSF Scheme, which
also includes NSF cyber operators performing more basic roles, such
as round-the-clock threat monitoring and analysis. There will be
about 60 operators a year in this role.
The cyber vocation was announced during last
March's parliamentary debate on Mindef's spending plans.
On Monday, Minister for Education (Higher Education and
Skills) and Second Minister for Defence Ong Ye Kung was at the
signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between Mindef
and SIT.
He said the Cyber NSF Scheme was a marrying of three
trends.
"One is the operational requirements of SAF to defend
our country better, especially in the area of cyber defence. Two,
the rise of a young group that is actually very au fait (well
versed) with cyber defence and we want to tap and leverage their
expertise."
"Three, an evolution in teaching methods in all our
institutes of higher learning, where it is not just pure lectures
but also hands-on experience at the same time," he said.
The MOU was signed at the SIT
campus in Dover Road by Mr David Koh, deputy secretary
(special projects) at Mindef, and Professor Loh Han Tong,
SIT's deputy president (academic) and provost.
The collaboration also involves the Cyber Security
Agency and SkillsFuture Singapore. The agreement is the first
work-learn programme between Mindef and an educational institute
where NSFs can attend academic courses while employed in an
operational role.
Citing how many countries, including Singapore, have
faced more frequent cyber attacks with increased complexity in
recent years, Mr Koh said: "The proliferation of cyber attacks is a
clear sign that cyberspace is the next battlefield, and cyber
security is a national imperative."
"Unlike other traditional battlefield domains where
platforms and weapon systems are mainstay capabilities, the
critical success factor in the cyber domain is highly skilled and
talented individuals with deep cyber capabilities," added Mr Koh,
who is also defence cyber chief.
Applicants will have to go through a selection process
that includes testing their skills and aptitude in cryptography,
security and architecture and application security. They will also
undergo psychometric tests and complete practical problem-solving
scenarios.
The academic credits the cyber specialists gain during
their service can be used to contribute to degree requirements in a
relevant course.
For instance, a cyber specialist who signs up for the
three-year scheme will need another three years to complete the
cyber-security degree offered by SIT. Four-year scheme cyber
specialists earn 50 per cent of academic credits required to
graduate and need to study for only two more years.
Prof Loh of SIT said there has been an increase in the
number of students applying for the degree over the past three
years, and the university has increased its enrolment by about 10
per cent for the intake this year.
The award recipients will get to go for professional
certifications such as Sysadmin, Audit, Network and Security (Sans)
Institute courses, and could be promoted up to the rank of First
Sergeant as they progress in their training.
NSFs in the cyber vocation will be deployed in a range
of operational roles in four broad areas within the cyber
domain. These are: cyber-security monitoring; threat
assessment and response; vulnerability audit and penetration
testing; and malware analysis and cyber forensics.
ST