This bill centralizes the planning, programming, and budgeting authority for the Armed Forces' cyber mission force under the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command.
Mike Rounds
Senator
SD
This bill aims to improve the planning and budgeting process for the Armed Forces' cyber mission force. It grants the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command direct control over the programming and budgeting for training, equipping, and operating this force. This new authority requires Cyber Command to submit its own dedicated budget materials separate from the individual military departments. The legislation also establishes coordination requirements between Cyber Command and the military departments regarding reserve component funding.
Cyber Command Gains Direct Budget Control Over Cyber Mission Force, Separating Funds from Military Departments
This bill fundamentally changes how the U.S. Cyber Command (CYBERCOM) plans and pays for its cyber mission force. Essentially, the Commander of CYBERCOM is now the boss of the budget for everything needed to train, equip, operate, and sustain these specialized cyber troops. This moves the financial control and planning authority directly into CYBERCOM’s hands, meaning they no longer have to rely on the individual military departments (Army, Navy, Air Force) to manage these specific funds.
Centralizing the Cyber Cash
Think of this as CYBERCOM finally getting its own corporate credit card for its core operations. Under Section 1, the CYBERCOM Commander gains direct control over the “planning, programming, budgeting, and execution” for the cyber mission force. This is a big deal because it means they now prepare their own detailed program objective memorandum and budget estimate submission. Crucially, they must prepare separate budget materials for CYBERCOM to be included in the overall Department of Defense (DoD) budget request to Congress, distinct from what the Army or Navy sends in. This move aims to streamline and clarify exactly how much is being spent on dedicated cyber operations.
What Stays Put (And What Gets Complicated)
While CYBERCOM gets the keys to the vehicle, they don't get the driver's paycheck or the garage maintenance budget. The bill explicitly states that the Commander will not control funding for military pay and allowances for personnel, nor the facility support that the individual military departments typically provide. If you’re a reservist in a cyber unit, your pay still comes from your parent service, but the specialized training equipment budget now comes straight from CYBERCOM. This division of labor could simplify some things but also creates potential friction points.
The Reserve Component Tug-of-War
The bill sets up a mandatory, formalized consultation process between CYBERCOM and the Secretaries of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, especially concerning funding for reserve component units that are part of the cyber mission force. Before CYBERCOM submits its budget, it has to talk to the Military Secretaries about reserve funding. If a Secretary disagrees with the funding level CYBERCOM proposes for their reserve units, the Secretary’s dissenting views must be included with CYBERCOM’s budget submission. This works both ways: if a Military Department proposes its own budget and the CYBERCOM Commander disagrees with their funding for cyber augmentees or reserve units, the Military Secretary must include the Commander’s opposing view. This requirement to formally air disagreements is meant to keep things transparent, but it also shows where the potential turf wars over resources are likely to happen.