ICYMI: Luttrell Discusses Cyber Force Measure

In case you missed it, Congressman Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) spoke with The Record about a cybersecurity amendment he plans to offer during the House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25) National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) mark-up on Wednesday. The amendment would require the Department of Defense to tap the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent evaluation of establishing a separate, uniformed Cyber Force. Excerpt below. 

Cyber Force measure expected to resurface in House defense bill debate
The Record
Martin Matishak
May 20, 2024 

Members of the House Armed Services Committee are prepared to push a bipartisan proposal that would require the Pentagon to study establishing a military cyber service. 

The measure, expected to be offered as an amendment during the panel's markup of the fiscal 2025 defense authorization bill on Wednesday, would require the Defense Department to tap the National Academy of Sciences to conduct an independent evaluation of establishing a separate, uniformed Cyber Force. 

The amendment — proposed by Reps. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) and Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA) — marks the latest attempt to put the idea of creating a cyber service before DOD brass. Last year, Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) successfully added a similar provision to the Senate version of the legislation but it was ultimately cut from the final, compromise bill. 

“It's no secret that cyberspace, cyber war, cyber threat, cyber risk is growing exponentially, not just nationally, but globally,” Luttrell, a former Navy SEAL, said last week during an interview in his Capitol Hill office.  

“This report language is going to really bring out the necessity of a Cyber Force, something that operates specifically in this cyberspace,” he told Recorded Future News, adding the existing digital warfighting branches are “siloed” to their respective services.

Read the full article here.