@LaJoieSecurity Threat Blog

 

Where’s the Leadership? Navigating the Cyber Workforce Crisis in Washington

 

This week’s cyber policy discussion isn’t about a breach or a headline-worthy exploit—it’s about something deeper and potentially more dangerous: a leadership vacuum in how the federal government is managing its own cybersecurity workforce.

 

Despite years of warnings, strategic plans, and bipartisan concern about the cybersecurity talent shortage, the U.S. government seems to be backsliding. Workforce cuts at CISA. Contract terminations with critical cybersecurity tools. Budget uncertainty. These aren’t just bureaucratic reshuffles—they're signals of a fractured strategic direction at a time when cyber threats are only getting more sophisticated.

 

Strategic Foundations—and Their Shaky Future

 

In 2023, the Biden administration unveiled the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy (NCWES) with a big, ambitious goal: train 1 million people, add 13,000 cyber jobs, and inject $95 million into building a national cyber talent pipeline. It was a bold step in the right direction.

 

But in recent months, the execution of that plan has started to unravel. CISA announced over 130 job cuts, many of them in threat hunting and election security. Even tools like Google’s VirusTotal and Censys—essential resources for detecting and analyzing threats—are being dropped from federal contracts.

 

All this while the Office of the National Cyber Director (ONCD) continues to promote workforce development and states that the cyber future depends on building diverse, skilled teams. But with shrinking budgets and growing threats, that vision is now more aspiration than action.

 

What’s Driving the Crisis?

 

There are a few culprits:

  • Budget pressure and shifting political priorities under the new administration.
  • A policy pivot emphasizing state and local preparedness over federal centralization.
  • Lack of continuity between outgoing and incoming federal cyber leadership, leaving major initiatives like NCWES hanging.

 

Perhaps most striking is the disruption of strategic unity. Where the Cyberspace Solarium Commission once shaped forward-thinking cyber doctrine, the federal response now feels fragmented—some agencies pushing ahead, others being forced to scale back.

 

The Big Problem: Thought Leadership is Missing

The U.S. desperately needs a clear, coordinated, and adequately funded cyber workforce strategy. The NCWES was a start. But thought leadership—true long-term strategic thinking—has to be more than a white paper. It needs teeth, funding, and bipartisan buy-in.

 

Right now, it seems like every agency is being left to fend for itself, and the public-facing message is unclear. That sends the wrong message to the private sector, to aspiring cyber professionals, and worst of all—to our adversaries.

 

Leadership Takeaways

  • Lead from where you are: Whether you’re in public service, the private sector, or academia, you have a role in shaping and supporting the future cyber workforce.
  • Push for continuity: Federal cyber policy must transcend administrations. Talent development and infrastructure security shouldn’t be political footballs.
  • Demand investment in people, not just tools: Tech tools change fast, but people build institutional knowledge. We need both.

 

Secure the Advantage

  • Bridge the public-private gap: Build stronger collaboration between government, industry, and academia to expand training pipelines and on-ramps into the field.
  • Make workforce planning continuous and adaptive: Assume disruption—whether political, economic, or technological—and build your team with resilience in mind.
  • Encourage bottom-up innovation: Leadership in cybersecurity often comes from the front lines. Create cultures that reward creativity and information sharing at all levels.

 

Read More

  • CISA Confirms Threat-Hunting Cuts, Google Contract Ends – NextGov
  • White House Urges Federal Agencies Not to Cut Cyber Workers – National CIO Review
  • Center for Cybersecurity Policy: NCWES Progress Report
  • Axios: Congressional Concerns Over CISA Cuts
  • Inside Gov Contracts: Trump Admin Cyber Strategy Shift

 

If the U.S. is going to win the long war in cyberspace, it won’t be because of a new platform or encryption protocol. It’ll be because we figured out how to recruit, train, support, and keep the right people in the right seats—through every administration.