In March, the Biden administration issued a national warning about an increase in foreign cyberattacks targeting drinking water and wastewater systems. In a letter to state governors, the Environmental Protection Agency and the National Security Agency warned of a series of cyberattacks by foreign state actors in China and Iran. In one attack, hackers affiliated with the Iranian government's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps disabled technology used at a U.S. water facility. In another incident, a Chinese government-backed group targeted critical infrastructure systems, including drinking water systems, in multiple locations in the United States.
These incidents highlight the growing need to strengthen cybersecurity defenses and protect infrastructure systems. But that won't happen without expanding and improving the government's cybersecurity workforce.
Unfortunately, our efforts are currently insufficient. Nationwide, there are too few cybersecurity professionals working in federal, state, and local governments to adequately address this growing threat.
In 2022, nearly 40,000 public sector cybersecurity positions remain unfilled. And our nation's technology workforce is rapidly aging, with roughly half of federal employees in computer science, computer engineering, and IT jobs over the age of 50. Less than a quarter of girlfriends are under 40, and only about 7.5% are under 30.
We urgently need to bring in a new generation of cybersecurity and technology experts to keep our water systems and other critical infrastructure safe. But economic uncertainty and the crushing burden of student loan debt mean today's young people are less likely to hold government positions than they once were.
One solution is to offer free college to students interested in cybersecurity and related technology fields in exchange for public service. Through my work on the Senate Armed Services Committee, I established the Cyber Services Academy Scholarship Program to build a pipeline of cybersecurity talent and strengthen national security.
The program provides up to five years of scholarships to community college, college, and advanced degree students pursuing cyber-related degrees in exchange for an obligation to work in a federal cyber-related role. The selected student will be required to work for at least one of her years in the Department of Defense or the intelligence community for each year of receiving scholarship support.
In effect, it works like an ROTC program for cyber. Students attend participating schools for free while training for a cyber or technology career in the civil service. Currently, scholarship participants are eligible for roles in the Department of Defense and intelligence agencies, but I am working to expand the program so that students can also pursue cyber-related jobs throughout the federal government. Masu.
My next goal is to establish a brick-and-mortar cyber academy like West Point, the Air Force Academy, or the National Military Academy. But until that day comes, the program is currently offered at about 200 universities across the country, including 11 of his institutions in New York.
We believe this program will significantly expand our nation's cybersecurity workforce and bring more diverse people and perspectives to the field. And we hope this will make cyber-related education and careers more accessible to everyone, especially students from underrepresented communities and students with foreign language proficiency.
When the Soviet Union first launched Sputnik in the fall of 1957, President Dwight D. Eisenhower recognized the national security implications of this new technology and the need to invest in the next generation of scientists and engineers. I did.
In the age of cyber threats, we must make the same calculation. The need to invest in cybersecurity talent is clear. Unless state, local, and federal cybersecurity officials are understaffed and supported, the safety and security of innocent Americans could be at risk.
