The Navy trains 18-year-olds to run nukes, so why can't we train security analysts? The "talent shortage" is actually just a lack of leadership and mentorship.

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The cybersecurity industry's claimed "talent shortage" is actually a leadership failure. Drawing parallels with the Navy's nuclear reactor training program that transforms 18-year-olds in 18 months, the author argues that leaders avoid the hard work of training junior talent, conducting thorough root cause analysis, addressing technical debt, and having difficult business conversations. The real problem is a lack of accountability and ownership, where leaders choose the path of least resistance over building structured training programs and developing their teams. This creates a self-fulfilling prophecy of burnout, turnover, and recurring problems that could be solved through fundamental leadership practices.

The foundation problem: How a lack of accountability is destroying cybersecurity