A recent federal watchdog report found that the Pentagon should consolidate some of its cyberspace operations training to reduce costs and improve mission effectiveness.
The Government Accountability Office released the report on Wednesday, finding that the Department of Defense (DOD) – which the Trump administration has rebranded as the Department of War – has a broad cyber operations structure supporting various national defense activities in cyberspace.
While the GAO identified instances of potential overlap, the report cautioned that “although some overlap can be intentional and appropriate, unnecessary overlap can lead to organizations paying for the same service or product twice or more.”
DOD has nearly 440 organizations conducting cyberspace operations, supported by about 61,000 military and civilian personnel and more than 9,500 contractors.
The cyberspace workforce spans units aligned with U.S. Cyber Command, such as Army cyber protection battalions and Navy cyber strike teams, as well as those retained by individual military branches, including Air Force communications squadrons and Marine Corps radio battalions. Other contributors include cybersecurity service providers that protect the networks of agencies like the Defense Threat Reduction Agency and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency.
These organizations engage in a mix of offensive, defensive, and information network operations to support national security and protect DOD’s digital infrastructure.
In addition to the operational units, GAO identified 70 support organizations – comprising around 3,400 personnel – that provide policy, budgetary, personnel, and training assistance across the department’s cyberspace mission.
GAO found that some of the functions of these organizations may overlap. Specifically, it cited similar training courses offered across military branches and redundant administration among DOD’s 23 cybersecurity service providers.
“As DOD considers the future organization and composition of its cyberspace operations forces, it will be important to take steps to reduce cost and inefficiencies while maintaining mission effectiveness,” the report reads.
GAO is recommending that DOD assess whether it can consolidate similar training programs and cybersecurity service providers to reduce inefficiencies and improve coordination.
DOD concurred with GAO’s recommendations and indicated it would take steps to evaluate and implement changes where appropriate.