Defense Secretary would test college partnerships for military cyber work

The Defense Secretary would establish a pilot to test partnerships between military cyber units and eligible colleges. The colleges must be recognized by the National Security Agency for cybersecurity research, defense, or operations. Military partners would be advanced cyberspace operations and information aggressor units. The pilot would operate under the Defense Cyber Workforce Framework. The Secretary would have to establish the pilot within one year after the Act is enacted.

The pilot would include a research cell and a framework for measuring its results. The research cell would support military aggressor operations with public-source information, emerging threat analysis, and guides for imitating adversaries. The assessment would examine student coursework and track possible later employment with the Defense Department or federal government. The pilot would end on September 30, 2031.