There is a critical and under-addressed question across the national security community today – what are we doing to address the significant gap between entry-level and senior talent in the national security workforce?
The cyber talent crisis is a different matter entirely, and faced an identity crisis of its own over the past year as a number of tech firms who over-hired during the pandemic course corrected and laid off percentages of their workforce. Those trends continue with layoffs and hiring shifts, including the lesser reported uptick in hiring across tech sectors once again.
The cyber talent problem certainly exists in government, but the generational one is something that is hardly being addressed. But recently retired Gen. Paul Nakasone, former head of the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, is making the next generation a key focus for the next stage of his career.
Speaking with reporters before being awarded the William Oliver Baker dinner by the Intelligence and National Security Alliance, Nakasone noted three key challenges for the Intelligence Community moving into the future: China, cybersecurity, and the demographic change within the IC.
“Five years ago millennials overtook baby boomers as the greatest generation in our intelligence community, said Nakasone. “We are now in the process where in the next five years Gen Z-ers will overtake millennials, and so those who were born between 1997 and 2012 will be the leading generational element in our IC.”
There are two critical questions – is the next generation of workers prepared with the critical national security skills necessary including the right blend of civics, security, and cyber training, and is the federal hiring process and workplace currently equipped to accommodate them?
Nakasone said that developing leaders and ensuring they’re prepared for the future, along with thinking differently about recruiting and hiring are all important steps to addressing the next generation within the IC. He emphasized the idea that “maybe people don’t come to your agency for 30 years. Maybe they come for five then leave, then come back. That paradigm has to continue,” said Nakasone.
A 2021 report from the Partnership for Public Service found what we already know – Generation Z is more likely to change jobs and not necessarily interested in a federal service medal. The turnover rate for Gen Z is nearly double that of the federal government average, 12.4%.
There are some that argue that due to the current political climate, young people are simply not interested in government careers. Both leaders and government hiring managers frequently note it’s not the candidate attraction piece that’s a struggle, however – it’s creating a hiring environment that allows those interested to cross the finish.
“My sense is the desire to serve is there,” said Nakasone. But where the system falters is both in onboarding talent, and allowing talent who has transitioned out to readily come back in. “It takes too long to clear people to get into our doors,” added Nakasone. “Once people decide they want to go into the private sector after 5-7 years it is almost impossible to bring them back – it shouldn’t be.”
That’s a sentiment that was echoed in a recent report by the Defense Innovation Board, which recommended a concept called ‘enduring reciprocity.’ Rather than current policies that allow clearances to stay current for a period of 2-3 years following a separation in service, enduring reciprocity would allow the candidate or a private sector partner to hold the clearance eligibility. It’s a critical step that could help talent taking those 5-7 year private sector stints to immediately hop back into a cleared position when there is a government need.
Nakasone notes that with 16 times more people over the age of 50 than under the age of 30 within the IC, it’s time to start growing pipelines and capacity. That’s one of the reasons he’s headed to Vanderbilt University to lead a brand new Institute of National Defense and Global Security. The institute will bring together Vanderbilt’s great strengths in building interdisciplinary capacity. “How do I bring a whole new generation of folks that understand AI, understand cyber, and understand intelligence,” said Nakasone.. “You have to take an interdisciplinary approach. I want coders who understand policy, and policy-makers who can code.”
To build that capacity, Nakasone said the IC also needs to go beyond the geographic barriers where it currently feels most comfortable. “I think we have to do an increasingly effective job at looking at the entire scope of our nation,” said Nakasone. Speaking from his prior role at NSA and Cyber Command, he noted they’re very comfortable east of the Mississippi when it comes to hiring and outreach, but it’s time to start thinking beyond the geographic communities where national security work may already be known, and head north, south, east, and west.
The next five years will be a critical pathway into preparing the next generation. As Gen Z begins to overtake baby boomers in the workforce, it’s not just hiring trends that will need to change, but the leadership development strategies and institutions that help to prepare the talent that comes on board.
“This is an inflection point for our intelligence community, being able to look for the next five years and really get ourselves ready for what’s going to be a big change for our leadership and who does our work in the IC,” said Nakasone.
