U.S. Sens. Gary Peters (D-MI) and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced legislation recently that they hope will help the U.S. Department of Defense recruit and retain cybersecurity professionals.
The Department of Defense Comprehensive Cyber Workforce Strategy Act would require the DoD to further its development of a cybersecurity workforce strategy to ensure critical national security missions have the workforce needed to protect the country and defend against foreign adversaries and cybercriminals.
“Cyberattacks pose a significant threat to our national security and will only continue to become more complex with new developments in technology,” Peters said. “This bipartisan, commonsense bill will ensure that we have the highly skilled experts we need in place to protect against ever-evolving cybersecurity threats.”
The senators said the department has faced challenges recruiting and retaining skilled cybersecurity professionals. As of September 2025, the DoD has a 10 percent vacancy rate, or roughly 25,000 empty positions. The legislation would require the department to prioritize drafting a workforce recruitment and retention strategy to attract qualified and skilled professionals to defend the country’s networks and cyber infrastructure from cyberattack.
“Readiness is a critical part of our nation’s cybersecurity,” Rounds said. “We must make certain that we have a well-trained and ready workforce operating in close coordination with our national security enterprise to support our overall cyber strategy, prepare for future threats and respond to incoming attacks.”