Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, President Donald Trump’s nominee to become the next chief of staff of the Air Force, warned senators this week that while the service is successfully recruiting cyber talent, it faces an urgent crisis in retaining and training skilled cyber professionals.
“The Air Force doesn’t have a recruiting shortfall for [cyber] … However, we do have challenges in the training and retaining areas,” Wilsbach stated in his written responses to advance policy questions ahead of his confirmation hearing Thursday before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
Wilsbach highlighted that the Air Force has grown its enlisted cyber operations accessions by 79% since fiscal year 2022.
But despite that growth, he said the service is losing both military and civilian cyber experts to the private sector, citing “limited access to training, slow and bureaucratic hiring processes, and unclear career advancement pathways” as key factors driving talent out of the service.
To combat this, Wilsbach explained that the Air Force is employing a multipronged strategy focused on financial incentives, career development, and training modernization to address cybersecurity personnel shortfalls.
To enhance readiness and expertise, the Air Force is implementing consecutive operational tours to improve continuity and team performance. “These efforts aim to attract, retain, and optimize the cyber workforce, ensuring they are trained, equipped, and motivated to defend national digital assets,” he explained.
He also emphasized the important roles of cyber warrant officers as subject matter experts who advise commanders, integrate cyber capabilities into warfighting functions, and provide mentorship and continuity in cyber operations. The service reintroduced warrant officer positions last year in cyber and IT fields to bolster technical leadership.
Financial incentives to improve retention include Cyber Assignment Incentive Pay of up to $1,500 per month for critical roles, officer retention bonuses of $25,000 per year with a 72% take rate, and supplemental locality pay for civilian positions under the Cyber Excepted Service program.
Wilsbach also emphasized that the Air Force must build up safeguards against cyber threats to ensure its systems remain resilient and operational in the event of an attack.
He specifically pointed to two often overlooked but vital programs: the Cyber Resiliency Office for Control Systems (CROCS) and Cyber Resiliency Office for Weapon Systems (CROWS). These offices work to ensure that critical infrastructure and weapons platforms can function during cyberattacks.
“Without robust cybersecurity, our networks and weapons systems are vulnerable to disruption and manipulation,” he noted. “CROCS and CROWS are essential to maintaining airpower and ensuring operational readiness.”
Still, both CROCS and CROWS have struggled to receive consistent funding and prioritization, a trend Wilsbach said must change.
Wilsbach also called for cybersecurity to be built into new systems from the design phase and stressed the need for performance metrics, scenario-based planning, and risk-based investment strategies.