The Ministry of National Defense (MND) is to recruit cybersecurity experts from the private sector by offering special bonuses to augment the nation’s cyberwarfare capabilities, the ministry’s budget plan for the fiscal year 2018 says.
Service members with an “expert” rating in IT proficiency will receive a monthly cyberwarfare duty bonus of NT$50,000, according to the plan.
Their post-bonus salaries could be as high as NT$100,000, equivalent to that of a major general or a rear admiral, the plan said.
The cyberwarfare bonus is different from the ordinary IT duty bonus, a ministry official said on condition of anonymity.
The ordinary IT duty bonus was approved by the Executive Yuan on June 27 and was implemented on July 1, the official said.
The cyberwarfare bonus would be available for personnel at the General Staff or Information and Electronic Warfare Command, which was established in June, the official said.
The official did not say how many people would receive the cyberwarfare bonus.
IT-related bonuses are divided into ordinary IT duty bonuses and cyberwarfare duty bonuses, according to the ministry’s budget proposal.
The ordinary bonuses are divided into two categories: for officers ranking from major to colonel and for officers ranking from second lieutenant to captain. The monthly bonus for the former group is NT$3,500 per month and NT$2,700 per month for the latter group.
The cyberwarfare bonuses are divided into five categories according to proficiency ratings measured by internationally recognized certificates and experience, the plan said.
The monthly cyberwarfare bonus would be NT$30,000 for those rated “Outstanding Class I,” NT$15,000 for “Outstanding Class II,” NT$10,000 for “Specialist Class I” and NT$5,000 for “Specialist Class II.”
The public portion of the command’s budget said the bonuses would facilitate the development, security and efficiency of systems, helping boost morale and building a base of technical competence.
The cyberwarfare bonus was underscored as important for recruiting and retaining qualified professionals in military service and for encouraging existing personnel to seek training.
Cyberwarfare personnel must pass a strict qualification course, training and certification before being eligible for the cyberwarfare bonus, the command said.
Those restrictions ensure the quality and competence of the command’s personnel, the command added.
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