back to article UK armed forces fast-tracking cyber warriors to defend digital front lines

The UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) is fast-tracking cybersecurity specialists in a bid to fortify its protection against increasing attacks. It's understood the plans are to fill up to 50 roles by the end of 2025, condensing the usual ten-week basic training program to just one month before three months of cyber-specialist …

  1. Pascal Monett Silver badge

    "a £40,939 ($50,974) starting salary"

    Well, at least they're putting some money where their mouth is.

  2. trevorde Silver badge

    Just to be clear

    This job is NOT being paid to play 'Call of Duty' online with your mates 24/7

    1. ChodeMonkey Silver badge
      Mushroom

      Re: Just to be clear

      Hearts of Iron ?

    2. Efer Brick

      Re: Just to be clear

      Minesweeper

    3. IGotOut Silver badge

      Re: Just to be clear

      World Of Tanks? After all drone tanks are on the way.

  3. LucreLout

    18 to 39

    Why the ageism?

    If you want to attract someone good, and retain them for that level of comp, you're better off targeting folks who's mortgage is done, career is on the back swing, who want to serve their country.

    It's not like we're going to be sprinting through obstacle courses or routinely getting injured.

    I'd be well up for a 5 or 10 year stint but not until I'm 55ish. Chances are very good that I already know everything on their bootcamp starter course and plenty more besides.

    1. SomeRandom1

      Re: 18 to 39

      Usual reasons I suppose - the younglings see "old" people as out of date and unable to learn, despite IT being a career where one must continuously learn new methods and adapt to change. The usual discarding of experience/wisdom over jump-in-and-do-it youthful enthusiasm.

    2. Wang Cores

      Re: 18 to 39

      Here in leftpond you can't enter flight training at 31 in the USAF even for non-combat aircrew nor civilian ATC training because they want you for 20+ years of service. Could be similar?

    3. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: 18 to 39

      One problem with employing 18 year old digital-natives is their typing ability.

      Having studied the online training materials it is clear that the cyber-ist that types fastest wins, for extreme cyber-ism you need to have two people typing on the same keyboard.

      In my experience many of the younglings seem to suffer if not offered a gui and touchscreen.

      1. IGotOut Silver badge

        Re: 18 to 39

        I find two people typing only works if the screen is displaying green text on a black background, with a big flashing Image telling you the password was incorrect.

  4. Bebu sa Ware
    Windows

    "they will never be based in the field or combat zones"

    So not a civil servant then? Likely uniformed (other ranks†) which for GBP 40,939 (~AUD 80,000) I wouldn't wish to take the risk of its being an exit level position.

    "Would you like to fly our drones with a Black Sea holiday thrown in. ... I am afraid soldier that wasn't a question."

    First rule in the army "never volunteer,"‡ the zeroeth rule "don't volunteer for that game of soldiers in the first place."

    † defined in one online lexicon as "the playthings of Ruperts (q.v.)"

    ‡ if they could order an OR to, they wouldn't be asking which is also not good reason for not being a Rupert.

    1. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "they will never be based in the field or combat zones"

      Wrong, you're quite safe, no quasi-military shenanigans. Most of us at Corsham are civil servants or contractors. Some service personnel get posted here, but they are Armed Forces first and only come here for a tour of duty or two. If this was recruitment for a military service, they'd have to say so.

      Maybe in a hot war? Well, I have known commercial suppliers get hauled out the trading estate next to Tesco's and thrown on a plane, so nobody's immune. Still, better that than getting stuck working through Crapita.

  5. Doctor Syntax Silver badge

    "shortage of technical skills in the public sector, citing the remuneration packages on offer as a significant reason why it can't recruit the best people."

    Well, naturally. People with specific skill sets are so inflexible. But classics and humanities graduates, not having a specific skill set, can turn their hands to anything that's needed so they deserve more pay.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Naturally the people commanding these people will also need to be paid more than them. So expect a line of cyber brass all being paid several times the going rate until you end up with a cyber-Admiral, cyber-General and cyber-Grand-Mustache all being on Tailor Swift money

    2. IanRS

      I think a better phrase is "are equally good at everything."

      1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

        My cat is equally good at skiing and brain surgery

        1. Steve K

          I bet that would go downhill rapidly

  6. Tom66

    £40k is better than most junior roles, but what about those who have 5 years+ under their belt? I know of cybersecurity professionals on £100k+. If we want the best, we need to pay the best, and that means matching private sector pay.

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      But these aren't just ordinary professionals - they are the best of 18-39 year old proto-cyber ninjas with no tattoos, piercings, weird hair colours, no arrests for smoking the evil weed have never been photographed at a demo and who were born in the motherland.

      1. Nifty

        "no arrests for smoking the evil weed have never been photographed at a demo and who were born in the motherland"

        Which motherland?

      2. steviebuk Silver badge

        And will stay up 24-7 with no questions asked or "Because we know we can exploit them by making them stay late or work weekends. Older folks will probably say, fine but I want over time or you can fuck a duck".

        I bet. Fucking annoys me.

  7. Tron Silver badge

    Quite a small potential labour pool.

    quote: educated to GCSE standard and demonstrate graduate-level aptitude.

    GCSE is school stuff. Then 2 years at college. Then undergraduate for 3 years. Then you are a graduate.

    To have graduate level IT aptitude when you have just done your GCSEs would make you an aspie prodigy.

    quote: to carry out counter operations against adversaries.

    To enforce UK government censorship of porn surfing and web 2.0, shut down critical blogs, and spy on 'Private Eye'. FTFY.

    quote: They'll also have to pass each force's health and fitness criteria

    Muscular geeks only need apply.

    They do need staff. GCHQ were too crap at their job to reassemble Boris's messages for the Covid inquiry, from the other parties, senders and recipients. Or was that perhaps intentional. Surely not. They couldn't be that corrupt could they?

    1. IGotOut Silver badge

      Re: Quite a small potential labour pool.

      You may want to go back and think about your comment.

      I got GCSE grades back in the day, but had 22 years IT experience in Desktop, Networking and Telecoms.

      Something tells me I was better at the job than a fresh faced Uni grad....scrap that I KNOW I was better, as I had to deal with several thinking that they knew better.

      I've know many people that only got GCSE's (some even failed) that are absolutely shit hot at their jobs

      1. claimed

        Re: Quite a small potential labour pool.

        They were talking about age - so if you were way better than a fresh faced grad ( here you’re doing the same thing and assuming 21/22 ) - how would you stack up against a 16 year old?

        I think it is you that may want to go back and think about your comment. Your self proclaimed skill at work may have benefitted from brushing up on your reading comprehension exercises.

    2. Ian Johnston Silver badge

      Re: Quite a small potential labour pool.

      To have graduate level IT aptitude when you have just done your GCSEs would make you an aspie prodigy.

      They want college level aptitude. not college level achievement. It's put a little clumsily in the article, but it's clear that although GCSEs are the only qualification you need, these posts are not for you if GCSEs are the only qualifications you could ever get.

  8. ChrisElvidge Silver badge

    Isn't it time

    that all "intelligence" and "cyber" roles were removed from RAF/RN/Army and instead conglomerated into a broad completely new intel/cyber branch of the armed services working without regard to "who owns what" intel? Cyber/Intel for all? CIFA? (see far, geddit?)

    1. Yet Another Anonymous coward Silver badge

      Re: Isn't it time

      A "basement command" with a formal dress of uniform of black hoodie ?

    2. Mr Humbug

      Re: Isn't it time

      That would probably go the same way as putting all the aircraft in the RAF, all the boats in the Royal Navy and all the infantry in the Army.

      Or it would be like Defence Intelligence, which borrows people from all three services

      1. EnviableOne

        Re: Isn't it time

        yeah, the RAF was supposed to replace the NAS and AAC, but they wouldn't relinquish control, so you will probably end up with the Royal Cyber Force, and still have one for each service.

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