Trump Calls for New Investments in Cybersecurity During Speech for Military Programs

Presidential candidate Donald Trump has undoubtedly said more than his fair share of opinions on many matters that involve the security and stability of the United States. In Trump's quest to "trump" the election polls, he has come out to give his input on what should take place when it comes to cybersecurity, which is a looming issue that many have expressed their opinions on the task of beefing up infrastructures around the U.S. to ultimately combat cyberattacks.

In Donald Trump's speech this week that focused on military programs, he repeatedly criticized the IT community for their lack of tech policy agenda, which would be at the forefront of protecting the U.S. from cyberattacks from other countries or terrorist entities. Trump also called for increased spending on cybersecurity and offensive weapons, all part of what appears to be an initiative to help fortify cyber capabilities at the U.S. Cyber Command.

While both presidential candidates have expressed many plans for their opinion how they will help better the country, Trump's recent statements about cybersecurity have garnered the attention of those who would implement tech policy plans. Additionally, Trump's comments have prompted IT officials and others within the computer security community to take a closer look at the details of Clinton and Trump's "plans" for improving cybersecurity in America, something that many experts have expressed to be a priority of whoever becomes president.

"America must be the world's dominant technological powerhouse of the 21st century, and young Americans -- including in our inner cities -- should get these new jobs," Trump said during his speech outlining investments in cybersecurity and the military.

While the military plan from Trump would ultimately expand the fighting force in America by 10%, his plan to beef up cybersecurity is not as clear, and many members of the U.S. tech community have questioned those policies. On the other hand, presidential candidate Hillary Clinton has released a detailed tech policy agenda, one that follows the basis of more education in the tech field and engagement of the private sector and nonprofits to train those in the computer science field. Additionally, the lengthy plan outlines several other areas where cybersecurity would be improved upon through several sequential steps.

Although both presidential candidates are steadily communicating how it is paramount to improve upon the U.S. cybersecurity efforts, criticism of Hillary Clinton's use of a private email server is a looming issue that demises her value put on the plan to beef up cybersecurity in America. Trump, so far, has repeatedly used the Clinton email debacle and the release of her emails via Russian hacks and WikiLeaks to his advantage in discussions about cybersecurity at times saying, "Hillary Clinton has taught us all how vulnerable we are to cyber hacking."

With Trump actively asking military and federal agencies to conduct reviews of the U.S. cyber defenses, it has placed him with an upper hand on grasping the dire need for improvements to thwart future attacks on the United States on a cyber level. There is no doubt that there are countless vulnerabilities that need to be identified and addressed in U.S. cyber infrastructures. When we all rely so heavily on internet communications, it is relatively easy for attackers to disrupt many channels and conduct cyberattacks that leave us crippled in many ways. Hopefully, come November, the American public will make a presidential choice to help close the vulnerabilities and create a better-fortified cybersecurity infrastructure.