Cyber Command Needs New Acquisition Authorities

Abstract

In fiscal 2016, Congress granted limited acquisition authorities to U.S. Cyber Command, which sunset in 2021. Given the dynamic nature of the cyberspace environment, the rapidly changing pace of technological development, and the speed at which adversaries operate, Congress should accept the recommendation in the Cyberspace Solarium Commission’s March 2020 report to create a major force program (MFP) category for cyberspace as part of the fiscal 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). This was among the number of issues I worked on as a senior director on the commission.