"Military Branches Losing Expensive Cyber Talent to the Private Sector, Watchdog Says"
According to a report released by the Government Accountability Office (GAO), the Department of Defense (DOD) spends hundreds of thousands of dollars training military personnel to complete advanced cyber courses, but not all armed forces have requirements for how long these personnel must remain in service to ensure that DOD receives an adequate return on its investments. In a Senate report accompanying the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), Congress called on the GAO to examine recruiting and retention issues and minimum service periods for active-duty military cyber professionals. GAO determined that while the Navy and Air Force have guidance requiring a three-year active-duty service obligation for military personnel who receive advanced cyber training, the Army's guidance does not clearly define active-duty service obligations and the Marine Corps has no guidance in this area. According to the report, the lack of mandatory service obligations for military cyber specialists causes the DOD to lose talent to the private sector, as these skilled individuals are not required to remain in the military after receiving their training. From fiscal years 2017 to 2021, the research identifies labor shortfalls in several active-duty cyber job sectors, but adds that the Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps do not maintain staffing statistics by work role. GAO stated that as a result, military service officials are unable to verify if specific job roles are facing shortages. Tracking staffing data at the level of work roles would help the military services to identify and manage staffing problems in providing the appropriate personnel to carry out critical operations. This information is also important for the DOD's planned expansion of USCYBERCOM's personnel. Although the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps have all granted retention bonuses for specific cyber career sectors, the research notes that cyber workforce retention difficulties continue to persist across the armed forces. This article continues to discuss the cyber workforce retention challenges faced by some of the military branches.