Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) introduced the amendment calling for the creation of the cyber service within the Department of the Army. The measure failed in the Senate Armed Services Committee in June by a single vote. The House Armed Services Committee’s cyber subcommittee mark of the defense bill does not include a cyber service.

Section 1502 of the House Armed Services Committee’s cyber subcommittee mark directs the Secretary of Defense to establish clear accountability for the cybersecurity of Department of Defense information networks. Section 1502 requires the identification of one official designated as the single accountable official for Department of Defense information network cybersecurity. The House Armed Services Committee’s cyber subcommittee mark of the 2027 NDAA included Section 1502, mandating the designation of a single official responsible for DOD information network cybersecurity, as part of broader governance reforms. The Senate Armed Services Committee’s 2027 NDAA markup included a directive for an independent review of U.S. Cyber Command’s organizational structure and resource allocation, reflecting ongoing scrutiny of cyber governance.

Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) stated in June 2026 that a Cyber Force is 'inevitable,' citing the U.S. military’s lag in cyber capabilities compared to adversaries and the necessity of a dedicated service for national defense. "A Cyber Force is inevitable," Rep. Pat Fallon (R-TX) stated. The CSIS-FDD Commission on Cyber Force Generation, which released a June 2026 report, explicitly stated that a Cyber Force would address 'longstanding structural challenges' in U.S. cyber warfare capabilities, including personnel management and resource allocation.

The Center for Strategic and International Studies released a report in June 2026 with recommendations for how to man, train, and equip a Cyber Force. The Center for Strategic and International Studies report builds on an earlier Foundation for Defense of Democracies cyber force study.

A 2024 Foundation for Defense of Democracies report concluded that a Cyber Force could be established under the Army with approximately 10,000 personnel, including both active-duty and reserve components. The proposed Cyber Force would require an initial budget of up to $11 billion for establishment, with an estimated timeline of 12–18 months to operationalize, according to a June 2026 commission report. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) was tasked with a feasibility study on a Cyber Force in the 2025 National Defense Authorization Act, with results expected by late 2026. Erica Lonergan and Mark Montgomery have stated that Cybercom 2.0 lacks the levers needed to compel the Services to prioritize cyberspace.

The rejection of the Senate amendment and the absence of a cyber service provision in the House mark indicate a divergence in legislative approaches to organizing military cyber capabilities. The Center for Strategic and International Studies report and the Foundation for Defense of Democracies study provide frameworks for how such a force could be structured, including personnel and budget estimates. The directive for an independent review in the Senate markup and the accountability measures in the House mark reflect continued efforts to address structural challenges in U.S. cyber warfare capabilities.