A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program on Department of Defense partnerships with institutions of higher education recognized in the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program for Cyber Research, and for other purposes.

Recognized college students get cyber pilot

This bill would require the Secretary of Defense to start a pilot program under the Defense Cyber Workforce Framework within one year of enactment. The pilot would pair advanced military cyberspace operations and information aggressor units with colleges the National Security Agency recognizes under the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity for Cyber Research, Cyber Defense, or Cyber Operations. It would run through September 30, 2031. The pilot would aim to improve the U.S. cyber workforce pipeline, create direct pathways for students into federal cybersecurity careers, and use existing scholarships such as the Cyber Service Academy and SMART. The pilot would include a research cell supporting aggressor operations using open-source intelligence, threat analysis, and adversary emulation playbooks. It would require an assessment framework with a cost-benefit analysis and measures of time to clear students and the time and cost to give students access to networks needed to support military cyber operators. The pilot would also assess participating curricula and track students to measure effects on potential future Department of Defense or other federal employment.