DInfoCom/0136 - DCO Certified MLS Training

The Army Cyber Risk (inadequate resilience) impacts the freedom of the Army at home and away, in barracks and on active deployments and exercises, as a TLB and as a lever of national power. At sub-threshold, the Army is under attack from a variety of actors who seek to undermine, disrupt and embarrass it. The risk is real, significant, evolving and needs treating through 1) technological protection, principally funded by the MOD Cyber Programme, 2) a whole force cultural change through the Army Security Culture work, and 3) through the upskilling of specialist All Arms digital professionals. It will take some years before the Initial and Subsequent Trade Training begins to address the latter; the Army needs to address the skills gap now. A near term training-focused intervention will directly contribute to improving Army cyber resilience.

The Army Defence Cyber Operations was identified as high risk on the Capability Audit 19, and in 2018, CDS Defence Support (CDS) was contracted to deliver a Training Needs Analysis (TNA) for Level 2 (L2) Defensive Cyber Operations (DCO) training and a Formal Change Request (FCR) was raised. The (then) Information Systems and Services (ISS) Cyber Delivery Team was unable to cost a non-equipment centric FCR and in Mar 19 Army CEMA gained approval to deliver aspects of the TNA.

This requirement will provide students access to training networks/hubs to retain and develop network security and cyber skills.