http://www.defenseone.com/management/2014/05/are-paychecks-problem-senate-considers-bonuses-pentagons-cyber-workforce/85258/ By Aliya Sternstein Nextgov May 27, 2014 Current and aspiring Defense Department personnel with cyber skills could see a boost in pay under a Senate 2015 defense policy bill that lawmakers detailed on Friday. Defense is up against the private sector’s lucrative salaries as it endeavors to boost cyber mission forces. Pentagon Secretary Chuck Hagel recently said these forces, expected to include 1,800 personnel by year’s end, should number 6,000 professionals in 2016. The Senate Armed Services Committee on Thursday approved a measure that directs each military service to determine “whether recruiting, retention, and assignment of service members with cyber skills requires bonuses or special and incentive pays,” according to the new details. The services would have to report their decisions to Congress by Jan. 31, 2015. The policy bill, called the National Defense Authorization Act, also directs the services to consider if the cyber battleground warrants new career fields. The question is whether to create names for officer and enlisted specialties that are separate from the existing “communications, signals, and intelligence” specialties. […]