DOE launches Operational Technology Defender Fellowship to foster cybersecurity knowledge among energy sector

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) began the Operational Technology (OT) Defender Fellowship this week, opening a year-long program for operational technology security managers in the energy sector to learn about cybersecurity from experts.

“Operational technology security managers keep the core physical systems of our energy infrastructure running smoothly in the face of natural disasters, physical sabotage, and nation-state cyberattacks,” Secretary of Energy Dan Brouillette said. “In support of the President’s Cybersecurity Workforce Executive Order, the Department of Energy is proud to support this elite training program to create opportunities to grow America’s cyber workforce.”

The Defender Fellowship will bring together the Idaho National Laboratory and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ (FDD) Center for Cyber and Technology Innovation (CCTI) to provide cyber and national security experts for these critical roles. They will focus on educating regarding the strategies and tactics used by enemies of the country and on ways the U.S. government works to defend against them.

The new project will also align with recommendations made by the congressionally mandated Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC). That commission was created to develop a consensus on a strategic approach to defending the U.S. cyberspace against major attacks and presented over 80 recommendations earlier this year.

“Securing our energy infrastructure is not an abstract policy idea, it is an immediate need to protect our nation from the real threat of malign actors,” U.S. Sen. Angus King, CSC co-chair, said. “The Cyberspace Solarium Commission report advocates for operationalizing cybersecurity collaboration with the private sector and reshaping how the U.S. government coordinates with the private sector; these steps are central to our collective defense. There is no question that this new DOE initiative will better protect our country from cyberattacks.”