Watchdog Says Military Can Make Cyber Ops More Efficient

David Roza

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The Department of Defense has about 440 organizations, 61,000 uniformed and civilian personnel, and more than 9,500 contractors working in cyberspace operations, but there may be room to pare down that sprawling $14.5 billion enterprise, the congressional watchdog Government Accountability Office said in a Sept. 17 report.

“Although some overlap can be intentional and appropriate, unnecessary overlap can lead to organizations paying for the same service or product twice or more,” GAO wrote.

Those include foundational training courses and 23 cybersecurity service providers, or CSSPs, that perform similar functions, which GAO said may present an opportunity to consolidate. (Government Accountability Office graphic)

The GAO report comes out amid a renewed debate over whether the Defense Department should stand up a cyber force as a separate service branch. Currently, each branch organizes, trains, and equips its own cyberspace units who either work for their respective services, in joint roles, or are presented to U.S. Cyber Command.

Earlier this month, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, a Washington D.C.-based think tank, released an implementation plan for building a cyber force which retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, FDD’s senior director on cyber and technology innovation, said could serve as a roadmap for standing up such a service. FDD suggested the cyber force would be a separate service within the Department of the Army, just like how the Space Force exists within the Department of the Air Force.

“There’s a chance that President Trump makes the decision in six to 12 weeks,” Montgomery told reporters, according to Federal News Network. “And if that’s the case, someone needs to have done a blueprint.”

FDD has advocated for a separate cyber force for years, but last month the Center for Strategic and International Studies partnered with FDD to start a commission for analyzing solutions to problems in the current military cyber force, such as a shortage of skilled personnel and inconsistent training.