New legislation filed in the Senate would instruct the Defense Department (DOD) to redouble efforts to recruit and retain members of the agency’s cybersecurity workforce and help address a double-digit percentage shortfall in DOD’s total cybersecurity employee rolls.
Those goals are the primary aims of the Department of Defense Comprehensive Cyber Workforce Strategy Act introduced on Jan. 14 by Sens. Gary Peters, D-Mich., and Mike Rounds, R-S.D.
The senators said that the legislation would task DOD “ to further its development of a comprehensive cybersecurity workforce strategy to ensure critical national security missions have the skilled workforce needed to protect our nation’s networks and defend against foreign adversaries and cybercriminals.”
According to the senators’ offices, the DOD – which the Trump administration has rebranded to the War Department – faced a 10% vacancy rate in cybersecurity positions as of September 2025, equaling about 25,000 empty positions.
“Cyberattacks pose a significant threat to our national security and will only continue to become more complex with new developments in technology,” said Peters, Senate Homeland Security Committee ranking member, in a statement.
“This bipartisan, commonsense bill will ensure that we have the highly skilled experts we need in place to protect against ever-evolving cybersecurity threats,” the senator said.
“Readiness is a critical part of our nation’s cybersecurity,” added Rounds, who serves as the chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee’s cyber panel.
“We must make certain that we have a well-trained and ready workforce operating in close coordination with our national security enterprise to support our overall cyber strategy, prepare for future threats and respond to incoming attacks,” he said.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Armed Services Committee, where both senators are members.