Space Force cyber warfare officers complete cyber tasks in the cyber escape room inside Stennis Hall at Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi, November 10, 2021. The escape room was implemented into the squadron to test the capabilities of cyber warfare students and sharpen their skillset. (Air Force photo by Senior Airman Seth Haddix) The appearance of U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) visual information does not imply or constitute DoD endorsement.
By: FEDweek StaffWhile the Navy and Air Force clearly state that active-duty members who receive advanced cyber training are required to stay in uniform for three years, the Marine Corps does not – and the Army does not clearly articulate its policy.
In a recent report to Congress, the Government Accountability Office (GAO) outlined the discrepancies among the services and offered several recommendations that would resolve the issue.
Cyber training prepares service members to serve as interactive On-Net Operators (ION), filling critical positions within U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCON).
Because of the lack of clarity on the Army’s part, GAO estimated that the service’s active-duty officers incur a service obligation of roughly 1.88 years. Further, Army officials told GAO that they do not have sufficient information to formulate an adequate policy that would specify how long cyber officers should remain in uniform.
Cyber command officials “acknowledged that guidance with clearly defined service obligations for ION training would create a better return on investment for this critical cyber work role,” the GAO report stated.
While noting that the Army and Marine Corps are taking steps to address service obligations for ION trainees, GAO stated that neither service could say when such guidance would take shape.
“Until the revised guidance is implemented, the Army and Marine Corps are unnecessarily limiting their return on investment in ION training,” the report stated.
GAO also noted that the services experienced staffing gaps between 2017 and 2021. The Navy, Army and Air Force were staffed at 80 percent or higher, while the Marine Corps were below levels set in fiscal year 2021.
Also, while USCYBERCOM uses work role designations to assign personnel to specific mission teams, GAO noted that the services do not keep track of such data. It is difficult, as such, for the services to determine which specific jobs are understaffed.
“Tracking staffing data at the work role level would enable the military services to identify and address staffing challenges in providing the right personnel to carry out key missions at USCYBERCOM,” the report stated.
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