A bill to require the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program on Department of Defense partnerships with institutions of higher education recognized in the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity program for Cyber Research, and for other purposes.

Core Policy Mechanism Top 1

DoD-University Cybersecurity Workforce Pilot Program

Creates a pilot program pairing military cyber units with cybersecurity-designated universities to improve federal cyber workforce development, military training, and student pathways into government cybersecurity careers. The pilot expires in 2031.

• Population Scope Low Directly affects students at a narrow subset of National Security Agency-designated cybersecurity universities and Department of Defense (DOD) advanced cyberspace operations unit personnel — a small fraction of the U.S. population.
• Budgetary Magnitude Low No appropriation or funding amount is authorized; the program operates under existing Defense Cyber Workforce Framework authority with no new fiscal obligation created.
• Legal / Regulatory Depth Medium Creates a new statutory mandate on the Secretary of Defense to establish a pilot program, binding agency conduct through required elements and a fixed timeline, but stops short of altering substantive law or creating enforceable rights beyond the agency.
• Degree of Discretion Granted Medium Mandatory 'shall' language compels program establishment, but the Secretary of Defense retains substantial discretion over partnership selection, curriculum assessment methodology, and implementation design within the prescribed elements.
• Implementation & Enforcement Burden Low Imposes no enforcement mechanisms, penalties, or external compliance obligations; administrative load is limited to internal program setup, assessment, and student tracking within DoD.
• Temporal Commitment Low The program carries a hard expiry of September 30, 2031 — well within 10 years — and self-terminates unless Congress affirmatively acts to extend it.