Developing Cyber Officers As Operational Leaders

Command relationships are important to establishing operational priorities and unity of effort. IN the cyber domain, these establish relationships that are necessary guides for policy and doctrine, essential to reducing the complexity of war. Admiral Rogers envisions cyber operational doctrine in which cyber forces will act as “supported sometimes” and “supporting other times”. In other instances, Rogers stated, “we’ll be doing both simultaneously. Among other issues for consideration, this idea presents a particular set of problems for the field of talent management in the United State military. More specifically, while Maneuver Commanders inherently understand the concept of command relationships from the moment they step into their branch, most Cyber leaders come from branches wherein such relationships are less applied and thereby less understood. This dilemma poses potential leadership hazards in the cyber force, jeopardizing the Cyber Mission Force’s ability to effectively dominate this crucial domain. This paper identifies the issues associated with command relationships and its relation to cyber talent management; it proposes alternative structures for remedying problems that jeopardize the effectiveness of the force