- Congress is exploring calls to create an independent military branch dubbed the "Cyber Force."
- The proposed new military service would be a response to emerging cyber threats across battlefields.
- Bipartisan report makes recommendations on how to launch a would-be cyber force.
Following World War II, the U.S. Air Force, in 1947, became an independent branch of the U.S. Armed Forces
More than 70 years would pass before another independent military branch — the U.S. Space Force — was created in 2019.
Now, less than a decade later, there are prominent calls for “standing up” another military service, this time to meet the emerging reality of global cyber threats.
Its preliminary moniker: Cyber Force.
Defense One reported that Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., is spearheading a markup amendment to the Senate’s 2027 National Defense Authorization Act that would create a Cyber Force as the next armed service branch.
The senator’s office confirmed that the amendment proposes to establish the branch under the Army, just as the Space Force and Marine Corps sit under the Air Force and Navy.
And on Wednesday, the bipartisan Center for Strategic and International Studies released its “Cyber Force Generation” report.
The 83-page study — which convened experts across military, government, academic and private sectors — does not primarily debate if an independent military Cyber Force should exist. Rather, it presents recommendations for how to best implement establishing such a group, if it’s ultimately approved.
The United States, the report asserts, faces “an unprecedented range” of cyber threats from nation-state and criminal cyber actors amid rapidly evolving technology — including AI-enabled cyber capabilities.
“These adversaries include nations like the People’s Republic of China and Russia, which are targeting the U.S. and allied critical infrastructure that underpins all elements of national and economic security, and are using AI to rapidly advance the scale and scope of attacks and develop new attack vectors,” according to the report.
Meanwhile, AI developers in the U.S. are producing cutting-edge tech for finding vulnerabilities and fortifying cyber defenses.
“Adversaries,” the report noted, “are working to leverage these same AI capabilities and will continue to exploit network vulnerabilities unless the United States can better defend itself in the cyber domain against persistent threats.”
Lawmaker calls for an American Cyber Force
There’s reportedly consensus across the Defense Department that the military’s existing cyber forces are insufficient to deter, compete, fight and win in the cyber domain.
Such critical shortcomings, according to the center report, can be attributed to the lack of a single organization responsible and accountable for organizing, training and equipping American military forces in the cyberspace domain.
This week’s report echoes alarms triggered on Capitol Hill.
Congress has already directed the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine to conduct its own study looking at the feasibility of creating an independent military service dedicated to cyber warfighting.
If established, the proposed Cyber Force would be established as an independent branch of the U.S. Armed Forces — with “force generation responsibilities” to “man, train and equip” comparable to existing military services such as the Army, Air Force and Navy.
“In standing up a Cyber Force, priority would be given to minimizing disruptions to current and ongoing cyber operations being carried out by the existing services, requiring the force be stood up at a meaningful speed to meet the evolving threat environment,” the report noted.
How large would the Cyber Force be — and what’s the cost?
The commission tasked with crafting the Cyber Force report recommended establishing the Cyber Force with an end strength of 20,000 active-duty uniformed personnel — and up to 5,000 National Guard personnel.
Meanwhile, the recommended Cyber Force would consist of 6,000 civilian personnel.
“Among uniformed personnel, the commission recommended the Cyber Force consist of commissioned officers and warrant officers, but without an enlisted cadre — following the U.S. Public Health Service precedent,” the report added.
The commission also recommended against a Cyber Force Reserve — preferring a National Guard construct that can operate under both federal and state authorities.
“Such a model would enable the Cyber Force to best leverage part-time talent and support recovery efforts related to cyberattacks on critical infrastructure.”
The estimated initial cost to stand up the Cyber Force: $10-$11 billion.
Where would a future Cyber Force find a home?
The commission considered two institutional alignment options.
The first option would be aligning the Cyber Force with the Department of the Army.
Such branch/department affiliations enjoy historical precedence. The Marine Corps and the Navy both operate within the Department of the Navy. Meanwhile, the Space Force and the Air Force are under the umbrella of the Department of the Air Force.
Aligning the Cyber Force within the Department of the Army would allow the new service to fit within the existing DOD bureaucracy, allowing for speed and efficiency.
“A key trade-off of this option is the risk that the Cyber Force would be considered lower priority than the much larger Army organization,” the report warned.
The report’s second alternative calls for aligning the Cyber Force within its own military department — a new “Department of the Cyber Force.”
“This option would ensure maximum prioritization of cyber issues across the Pentagon, amid a shifting threat environment and force generation challenges.
“The key tradeoff is that standing up an entirely new Pentagon bureaucracy would require significant time and resources and thus take significantly longer to implement.”
How long would it take to launch the Cyber Force?
Regardless of its institutional alignment, the commission estimates that reaching initial operating capacity for the new Cyber Force would take between 12 to 18 months — proceeding through several sequential phases such as setting conditions, staffing and institutional refinement.
“This approach emphasizes maintaining force quality over establishing force mass, and experimentation with novel approaches over rigid design features,” asserted the report.
Filling a dangerous cyber gap
The CSIS report emphasized the “dangerous gap” between the centralities of cyberspace in fighting today’s wars — and the U.S. military’s “persistent inability” to deter, compete, fight and win in the cyber domain.
None of the current military branches, the report added, have prioritized cyber force generation. Across the five services, there are inconsistencies in recruiting, training, career pathways and compensation.
The result? A “disjointed and inefficient” effort providing ineffective and inconsistent results.
“An independent Cyber Force will naturally prioritize creating a cohesive and unified approach to the recruitment, training, promotion, and retention of qualified personnel whose skills correspond to the requirements of warfighting in cyberspace,” according to the report authors.