Foundation for Defense of Democracies | Dr. Erica Lonergan and RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
The U.S. military's current cyber force generation system is critically flawed, failing to recruit, train, promote, and retain talented cyber warriors effectively. Each service—Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines—operates independent, uncoordinated systems, leading to a severe shortage of qualified personnel at U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM). This inefficiency results in officers without keyboard experience commanding cyber units and inconsistent skill acquisition among trainees. Based on over 75 interviews with military officers, the study reveals low retention rates due to inconsistent policies and institutional cultures that undervalue cyber expertise. Resolving these issues necessitates establishing a new, independent U.S. Cyber Force, mirroring the historical creation of the Air Force and Space Force. Such a force would standardize recruitment, training, promotion, and retention, establish dedicated cyber education institutions, and prioritize rapid acquisition of cyber warfare systems, initially comprising approximately 10,000 personnel. This approach is deemed superior to alternatives like making CYBERCOM a SOCOM-like entity or having it assume force generation, which would break precedent and overwhelm its leadership.
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