In a speech held at the RSA Security Conference, General Keith Alexander, Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the director of the National Security Agency (NSA) said that the United States need to create a "cyber force" to be able to withstand attacks targeted at the nation critical infrastructure. Threatpost quoted the General stating: "We need to concurrently push STEM and educate the public about what goes on these networks so that we can fix it as a team. We need your help to do that."
According to Alexander, a cyber force could be a band between government agencies and the private sector, in which early warning signs could be detected and defend the country against "sophisticated adversaries and malicious insiders." He envisions a team-based collaboration to counter trends in a world where "cyber offensive- and defensive operations are the keys to military victory."
Alexander called for a greater focus on education at the elementary and secondary level: "We can't let the advantages we've had in the past erode the future," he said.