Standalone U.S. Cyber Command would take big budget bump, Adm. Mike Rogers says
The U.S. Cyber Command would need a 16 percent increase in its budget to separate itself from the NSA and become a full-fledged combatant command, Adm. Mike Rogers told House lawmakers Tuesday.
“To execute our mission I have asked for a budget of $647 million, which is a nearly 16 percent increase from 2017,” Adm. Michael Rogers told a hearing of the Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities convened by Chairwoman Elise Stefanik, R-N.Y., to examine the fiscal 2018 request for Cyber Command.
The National Defense Authorization Act for fiscal 2017 mandated the elevation of Cyber Command — which is currently subordinate to U.S. Strategic Command — to a fully fledged combatant command.
Rogers said that money would be spent “building out” the command’s cyber fighting units, called Cyber Mission Forces, and other cyber-specific capabilities. The 6,200-strong CMF is on track to be fully operational by Oct. 1 next year, he said.
Read more about Tuesday’s hearing and the elevation of the Cyber Command on CyberScoop.
