UNITED STATES 

NUCLEAR REGULATORY COMMISSION 

WASHINGTON , D.C. 20555-0001 

The Honorable Mac Thornberry 

Chairman, Committee on Armed Services 

United States House of Representatives 

Washington , DC 20515 

Dear Mr. Chairman: 

January 6, 2017 

On behalf of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, I am enclosing the baseline 

assessment of the agency's existing cybersecurity workforce. This report is provided in 

accordance with the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment Act of 2015, contained in the 

Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-113). 

Please feel free to contact me or Eugene Dacus, Director of the Office of Congressional 

Affairs, at (301) 415-1776, if you have any questions or need additional information. 

Enclosure: 

As stated 

cc: Representative Adam Smith 
Baseline Assessment of Existing Cybersecurity Workforce 

at the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

December 2016 

The U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) reports the following baseline assessment 

information required by Section 3(b)(1 )(D) of the Federal Cybersecurity Workforce Assessment 

Act of 2015, contained in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2016 (Public Law 114-113), 

enacted December 18, 2015. 

i. The percentage of personnel with information technology (IT), cybersecurity, or other 

cyber-related job functions who currently hold the appropriate industry-recognized 

certifications as identified under the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education. 

The NRC identified approximately 375 employees with information technology (IT}, 

cybersecurity, or cyber-related functions. These employees were surveyed to determine if 

they have any current industry-recognized certifications. About 30 percent of the employees 

surveyed responded. Approximately 25 percent of those responding to the survey have 

current industry-recognized certifications. 

ii. The level of preparedness of other civilian and non-civilian cyber personnel without existing 

credentials to take certification exams. 

Approximately 75 percent of the employees with IT, cybersecurity, or cyber-related functions 

who responded to the survey do not have current industry-recognized certifications. The 

overall self-reported levels of preparedness of these employees to complete a certification 

exam are as follows: approximately 65 percent feel unprepared; 20 percent feel somewhat 

prepared; 5 percent feel prepared; and 10 percent did not provide a response to this 

question. Ten employees indicated that they plan to obtain an industry-recognized 

certification within the next year. 

iii. A strategy for mitigating any gaps identified in clause (i) or (ii) with the appropriate training 

and certification for existing personnel. 

The NRC's baseline assessment did not identify any gaps that necessitate additional 

training or certification requirements. The NRC hires highly skilled professionals for its IT 

and cybersecurity workforce and, therefore, no gaps were identified. While certifications are 

one of the many qualifications we consider, they are not currently required. For those 

employees who choose to obtain certifications, preparation resources are available under an 

NRC contract with Skillsoft and the Department of Homeland Security's Federal Virtual 

Training Environment, which is open to all Federal employees. 

Enclosure 
Identical letter sent to: 

The Honorable Mac Thornberry 

Chairman, Committee on Armed Services 

United States House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

cc: Representative Adam Smith 

The Honorable Michael Mccaul 

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security 

United States House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

cc: Representative Bennie G. Thompson 

The Honorable Jason Chaffetz 

Chairman, Committee on Oversight 

and Government Reform 

United States House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

cc: Representative Elijah E. Cummings 

The Honorable Devin Nunes 

Chairman, Permanent Select Committee 

on Intelligence 

United States House of Representatives 

Washington , DC 20515 

cc: Representative Adam B. Schiff 

The Honorable John McCain 

Chairman, Committee on Armed Services 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

cc: Senator Jack Reed 

The Honorable John Thune 

Chairman, Committee on Commerce, Science, 

and Transportation 

United States Senate 

Washington , DC 2051 O 

cc: Senator Bill Nelson 

The Honorable Ron Johnson 

Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security 

and Governmental Affairs 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 2051 O 

cc: Senator Thomas R. Carper 

The Honorable Richard M. Burr 

Chairman, Select Committee on Intelligence 

United States Senate 

Washington, DC 20510 

cc: Senator Dianne Feinstein