George Mason University to offer cybersecurity training to Army reservists

George Mason University has been selected as one of the six institutions that will partner with the U.S. Army Reserve to train “cyber warriors,” the school announced last week.
As part of the new program — the U.S. Army Reserve Cyber Public Private Partnership Initiative, or Cyber P3 — GMU’s Volgenau School of Engineering will train reservists so they can become cyber specialists in the Army.

The demand for these individuals and units far outpaces the current cyber soldier and unit inventory.

Peggy Brouse, the director of Cyber Security Engineering, Systems Engineering & Operations Research at GMU, said in an email, “We were chosen … because of our Center for Secure Information Systems, a NSA Center of Excellence in Academics and Research, our new BS in Cyber Security Engineering, several other cyber oriented degree programs (specializations both at the BS and MS level) and the research we are doing in this area.”
“The demand for these individuals and units far outpaces the current cyber soldier and unit inventory,” Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Talley, the chief of the Army Reserve, said in an Army press release.
“This program addresses the Army and Department of Defense need for increased cyber capability by creating a pool of Citizen-Soldiers who combine civilian skills, education and knowledge with military expertise,” added Lt. Col. Scott Nelson, the program manager for Cyber P3.
Other participating universities include Drexel University, the University of Washington, Norwich University, the University of Colorado Colorado Springs and the University of Texas at San Antonio.
In addition, 12 employers will participate in the program, including Rackspace, Verizon, Microsoft, Pro2Serve, Chevron and CALIBRE Systems.