Singapore’s recent initiatives to increase cybersecurity expertise through specialist training and education are timely and necessary. In addition to enhancing such skills, the strategic analytical skills of existing and potential cybersecurity practitioners must be honed as well.

IT WAS reported in The Straits Times last year that Singapore, like many other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom and India, was experiencing a shortfall in the number of cybersecurity practitioners. Furthermore, graduates did not seem attracted to the IT security profession, which meant that the next generation of cybersecurity practitioners would be negatively impacted.

Expectedly, these trends are a cause for concern in light of the persistent and ever-increasing cyber threats facing the country. The government has embarked upon two major initiatives to address these issues.

… Damien D. Cheong is a Research Fellow at the Centre of Excellence for National Security (CENS), a constituent unit of the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University.