Report Urges Pentagon to Stand Up Independent Cyber Force. (ALGORITHMIC WARFARE)

• Date: 01 June 2024
• Author: Luckenbaugh, Josh
• Published date: 01 June 2024

The Foundation for Defense of Democracies in a recent report called for the creation of a new service called the U.S. Cyber Force to address the Defense Department's lack of qualified personnel for cyberspace operations.

In the military, "an officer who had never fired a rifle would never command an infantry unit. Yet officers with no experience behind a keyboard are commanding cyber warfare units," co-authors Erica Lonergan and retired Navy Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery wrote in "United States Cyber Force: A Defense Imperative," published March 25.

The Army, Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps "each run their own recruitment, training and promotion systems instead of having a single pipeline for talent," which has caused a "shortage of qualified personnel at U.S. Cyber Command, which has responsibility for both the offensive and defensive aspects of military cyber operations," the report stated.

Former Rep. Mike Gallagher, R-Wis., then-chairman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies and Innovation, said there is a "chronic issue in force readiness" when it comes to the Defense Department's cyber personnel.

"The question is, is the tip of the spear in cyberspace as sharp as it needs to be?" Gallagher said during a...