United States Cyber Force

As a former Air Force Cyberspace Warfare Officer who began his expertise in cyberspace as far back as 1997, I wholeheartedly agree with the timing of this call for a separate service. From my early days with the Air Force's Red Team, to leading various aspects of cyberspace operations, to building and serving within the CPT and N-CPT structure, it is clear that we have matured enough to recognize the need for a separate military branch. While it would pain me to see this new branch fall under the Department of the Army, one cannot escape the fact that the Air Force and Navy each already have two branches to maintain.



As a result of having cyber operations spread across the services as it is, priorities are not fully addressed across the multitude of cyber units, training is inconsistent, leadership is inexperienced, and retention is a serious issue. While we have several aspects in cyberspace operations in which we excel, there are some many others which are dysfunctional and not fully supported to maximize their potential. As an example, we have placed a significant effort in exploit/offensive cyberspace operations, where many of the brightest cyberspace operators are sucked into that world of capability and access, which could also enable our defensive operations. Unfortunately, those bright people are rarely seen again and that capability/access stays hidden from those who could use the insight and/or experience within the defensive arena.