House representatives will push forward with their efforts to secure an external review of a potential Cyber Force addition to the U.S. military, according to a key supporter of the initiative speaking on Wednesday.
“We’re maintaining our position,” Rep. Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) stated during a media briefing in his Capitol Hill office, emphasizing that an independent assessment remains “highly necessary.”
In the previous year, Luttrell introduced an amendment to the House’s annual defense authorization bill, requiring the Defense Department to seek a third-party evaluation regarding the establishment of a Cyber Force as a possible seventh military branch focused on digital operations.
The Senate version contained matching provisions; however, following pressure from DOD, the text was modified in the final negotiated version. The revised language requested the nonprofit National Academy of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine to conduct an “assessment of different organizational frameworks for the Armed Forces’ cyber units.”
The enacted legislation, which President Joe Biden approved in December, didn’t specify a timeline for submitting the assessment to Congress.
Luttrell revealed he’s already discussed advancing the initiative this year with Rep. Chrissy Houlahan (D-PA), a fellow House Armed Services Committee member who previously supported the Cyber Force measure.
He mentioned consulting with House Armed Services Chair Mike Rogers (R-AL) after the initial provision was scaled back to understand the previous year’s negotiation process.
Supporters remain undeterred despite the inclusion of a modified study in the recent defense policy framework, according to Luttrell.
“We’ll examine the findings, identify any gaps” and “generate additional questions based on the results we receive, that’s our approach,” the former Navy SEAL explained to journalists.
Luttrell identified the absence of a specific deadline as one of his “major concerns” with the final legislation and promised to secure a timeline from the Pentagon before the next annual defense bill discussions begin this spring.
If Cyber Force proponents face defeat for the third straight year, legislators might appeal to President-elect Donald Trump. He and former Vice President Mike Pence previously convinced Congress to create the U.S. Space Force in 2019, marking the first new military branch in 72 years.
Regarding his position, Luttrell remained open to discussing a cyber military service with Vice President-elect J.D. Vance.
“In any potential discussion with the Vice President, I would outline why my colleagues and I who support this initiative consider it crucial,” he stated.
