The Issue
The National Guard is and should continue to be a critical partner in developing, planning, and executing the Department of Defense strategy in cyberspace and the space domain.
Recommendations
- Ensure the National Guard is fully resourced to support all facets of cyber and space operations and is fully incorporated as an operational reserve component of any future Space Force, which includes improving the current training pipeline for all Guardsmen in these 21st Century missions.
- Allow the National Guard to serve as a conduit for cyber operations between federal, state and local governments, as well as private sector.
- Establish in each state, territory, and District of Columbia National Guard Cyber Security Incident Response Teams to perform analysis, protection, and respond to emergencies.
- Provide additional full-time staffing authorizations to build the Defensive Cyber Operations Element (DCOE) and robust full time support to conduct network defense.