The study, titled "Cyber In-Security: Strengthening The Federal Cybersecurity Workforce," which was conducted by the Partnership for Public Service and Booz Allen Hamilton, found that the pipeline for skilled cybersecurity professionals is abysmally inadequate and leaves gaping holes in U.S security that could leave the country vulnerable.

"The overriding finding of our analysis is that our federal government will be unable to combat these threats without a more coordinated, sustained effort to increase cybersecurity expertise in the federal workforce," the study's authors wrote.

Currently, the U.S. government runs a scholarship program that fills about 120 entry-level cybersecurity jobs annually. However, the study found that to effectively combat impending security challenges, chief information officers and chief security officers reported that they will need at least 1,000 nationally sponsored cybersecurity graduates -- about an eightfold increase -- to adequately fill vacant security positions. Meanwhile, no governmentwide feeder program exists for mid- and senior-level positions.

Defense Sec. Robert Gates said that the Pentagon is "desperately short of people who have capabilities (defensive and offensive cybersecurity war skills) in all the services, and we have to address it," according to the study.

There are some obstacles to this endeavor, however. The study also found that the U.S. government suffers from "fragmented governance and uncoordinated leadership," which serves to impede cybersecurity workforce needs. For example, the study found that there is no one government official in charge of cybersecurity, which has caused the national cybersecurity effort to suffer.

"In this fragmented climate, department and agencies are on their own and sometimes working at cross-purposes or in competition with one another," the study said.

Meanwhile, the federal government hiring process is bogged down with bureaucracy, complicated rules and an outdated and arbitrary job classification system, which also deters potential cybersecurity talent from entering and staying in federal service.

In addition, the study indicated that there is a major disconnect between hiring managers and human resources offices -- managers are consistently less satisfied with the effort to hire new cybersecurity talent than their peers in HR.

Since his inauguration in January, President Barack Obama has pledged to greatly enhance cybersecurity efforts, launching a 60-day cybersecurity review to thoroughly examine weaknesses in cyberinfrastructure. In addition, two cybersecurity bills proposed widespread changes to the governing policies that oversee and protect the U.S. computer network infrastructure, including the appointment of a cybersecurity czar.

To address the lack of cybersecurity professionals, the study recommends that the yet-to-be appointed cybersecurity czar develop a governmentwide strategic blueprint outlining cybersecurity objectives, which should include the health of the cybersecurity workforce and the desired roles for both civil servants and private contractors.

The study's authors also recommended that Congress provide significant funding to train federal cybersecurity workers to meet new standards, while simultaneously focusing on hiring individuals with management skills. The researchers also suggested that the fields of defense, intelligence and other areas of information security be brought together under the authority of the yet-to-be-named cybersecurity czar.

"Achieving these goals requires a dedicated, highly trained and well-managed government workforce," the study's authors said. "Failure to address the government's critical cybersecurity workforce needs will undermine the president's commitment and could result in increased vulnerability of systems and the data in the house."