CyberCorps is adapting to AI. The budget isn’t keeping up.

Summary

The CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service program, which has supplied nearly 5,000 cybersecurity professionals to the federal workforce over 25 years, is adapting to address the growing threat of AI. New guidelines require participants to have or develop expertise in using AI for cybersecurity operations and securing AI systems. Despite this adaptation and recognition of AI's impact on cyber threats, the program faces potential budget cuts, risking its ability to adequately prepare the future federal cyber workforce.

Full text

The digital battlefield is expanding and changing faster than ever before. Washington must confront mounting threats to critical networks and systems. But there’s one challenge that stands out above the rest: artificial intelligence. The nation’s cyber experts need to be ready to face this new reality. The CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service program is a federal initiative that has done just that for 25 years, contributing nearly 5,000 cybersecurity professionals to the federal workforce. The program is a success story, but the Trump administration has put this program at risk by attempting to drastically cut its funding. Fortunately, Congress has intervened, and will continue to fund the program. The administration should follow Congress’ lead and support it in the future. The CyberCorps program was developed as an equivalent to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) for civilian cybersecurity professionals, awarding student participants full scholarships and stipends for their cybersecurity education in exchange for an obligation to serve the federal government after graduation. Participants also receive specialized instruction and summer internships in addition to their coursework, providing the federal government talented, security-vetted, and well-educated employees to defend the United States from cyberthreats. AI is changing cybersecurity, creating both new opportunities and new dangers. CyberCorps is adapting to stay ahead. The situation is driven by three clear trends: AI is expanding rapidly across all sectors, threat actors are using it for more advanced attacks, and the newest AI models can find software vulnerabilities quicker than ever before. In a report released last month, Google researchers said they discovered a previously unknown security vulnerability developed by AI capable of initiating a large-scale cyberattack. Experts estimate that there is now a three-to-five month window in which adversaries will start to outpace organizations using AI-driven attack methods for discovering cyber vulnerabilities. Jen Easterly, the former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency wrote last year that cybersecurity as we know it is becoming a relic of the past — and that AI is the path forward. Cyber threats are advancing faster than ever, and our workforce must keep pace. CyberCorps is stepping up to meet the moment. This year, program participants must have an educational background in AI or plan to develop one. The new guidelines require expertise in two critical areas: using AI in cybersecurity operations and securing AI systems themselves. We need experts who can use AI to defend us and people who can protect AI tools from being weaponized. Program graduates will have both skillsets, equipped to handle today’s threats and adapt as they evolve. To facilitate this effort, the CyberCorps program is supporting existing participant schools by providing AI training. CyberCorps is also allowing schools to dedicate a portion of the money they receive through program membership to creating their own AI training or providing training from other institutions for students and instructors. These changes accomplish two important things. They prepare participants as capable cyber professionals while addressing a workforce crisis the government can no longer ignore. The Pentagon alone estimates it needs 25,000 more cyber experts. By aligning the CyberCorps program with the Trump administration’s AI workforce priorities, the government is finally putting resources behind a solution that matters. President Trump and the National Science Foundation deserve credit for such agile footwork in adapting to this challenge. But that clear recognition makes the current budget situation even more galling. The greater emphasis on AI in the CyberCorps program could support government expertise in AI for years to come, but only if the program is properly resourced. The Trump administration’s 2026 budget request included a 65 percent cut in funding for CyberCorps at only $21.7 million, which Congress rectified by appropriating $63 million. Despite this clear congressional signal, the president’s 2027 budget again requested $21.7 million, a drastic cut. Again, Congress is stepping in to fix things. The congressional funding report for fiscal year 2027 recommends adding between $60 million and $70 million of funding to the program. The report also encourages the inclusion of “AI in activities funded by the program to maximize the learning potential in both fields” and advises an increase in the number of scholarships offered. To fully institute these recommendations, the program will require even more funding. Congress is right on target. America needs strong cyber defenders ready for the AI era. CyberCorps must lead the federal government forward. With the right support, the program will deliver the cyber success our nation demands. Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery is the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where Sophie McDowall is a research associate. Share Facebook LinkedIn Twitter Copy Link

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