Lawmakers are requesting an addendum to a defense authorization bill to mandate specialized training for U.S. cybersecurity troops engaged in war games, according to Nextgov.
Last Thursday, the House Armed Services panel on Emerging Threats and Capabilities sent its approval to create a joint certification and training program to become active by March 31, 2017. Soldiers in the 6,200-person CYBERCOM force, under U.S. Cyber Command, who take the side of "cyber opposition forces" would be trained to attack and retaliate during practice war games. The friendly hackers also would join in the annual Cyber Flag competition at Nellis Air Force Base.
Some legislators expressed concern that the "persistent threat environment" layed out in the initiative might be misinterpreted as actual threats to the network and called for the secretary of defense to respond.
The committee on Wednesday is reviewing the 2017 National Defense Authorization Act, which authorizes funding for the Department of Defense.