Space Force Seeks to Recruit More Cyber Personnel From USCYBERCOM, Air Force

The Space Force is looking to expand its cyber workforce by recruiting more specialized cyber personnel from the U.S. Cyber Command and the Air Force.

According to Maj. Gen. DeAnna Burt, deputy commander of the Space Operations Command, discussions are underway to transfer USCYBERCOM and Air Force cyber specialists to the Space Force.

Burt expects the Space Force to stand up its own cyber protection teams in three to five years, National Defense Magazine reported.

The plan is still in its infancy and aspects such as organizational structure and resource allocation have yet to be determined, Burt said at a Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies event.

Cyber specialists are critical to the Space Force as they enable a variety of operations.

According to Burt, the service branch would not be able to “do space without cyber day in and day out.”

She praised the Delta 6 team members from the Air Force for playing a key role in completing standard operations for the Space Force, including performing space safety analysis and operating communications systems.

A team of cyber specialists is also employed at the Space and Missile Systems Center to ensure that cyber capabilities are incorporated into new technology when needed, Burt said.

In addition to the activities already carried out by these teams, Burt wants to utilize cyber capabilities to collect data about adversaries’ cyber vulnerabilities.

“The commercial entities or industry can help us start to build the capabilities to discover that data and make it transparent,” she said.