Pressure mounts to create Cyber Force under U.S. DOD

Defense technology experts and veterans have increased calls for the establishment of a new Cyber Force branch under the U.S. Department of Defense, focused solely on maintaining national cybersecurity and readiness against online threats from adversaries including Russia and China, according to The Register. If created, what would be the U.S. military's seventh branch is expected to be a more focused operation than the current Cyber Command, which has to rely on personnel and input from the other branches, according to proponents of the change. The Military Cyber Professionals Association said in a recent statement that today's cyber threats are "significant, dynamic, ever-present, and consequential," and the current approach risks eliminating the advantage in cyberspace long held by the U.S. Despite the Biden administration's vocal support for improving U.S. cyber defenses, its National Cybersecurity Strategy did not mention the creation of such a military service. Meanwhile, the DOD has yet to produce a cost analysis on the costs, benefits, and value of creating a Cyber Force as requested by the House Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Committee.