The United States faces a volume and sophistication of malicious cyber activity that far exceeds the capacity of its current military cyber forces. U.S. Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) must conduct continuous defensive and offensive operations against thousands of state and non-state actors while sustaining a small, high-skill Cyber Mission Force that is already stretched by persistent engagement requirements. This article argues that debates over whether to grant USCYBERCOM SOCOM-like authorities or to establish a separate cyber service miss the central problem: the force is simply too small. Drawing on threat reporting, congressional testimony, and workforce studies, it demonstrates how chronic shortfalls in personnel, misalignment of talent to task, and limited training throughput undermine readiness and constrain strategic options. The article makes the case for significantly expanding the active-duty cyber workforce and pairing this growth with targeted reforms in force management, training standardization, and career progression. It then assesses two primary pathways for scaling the force—growing under a SOCOM-like model or consolidating into an independent cyber service—and evaluates their respective advantages and risks. The article concludes that “going big” on cyber force size, coupled with management modernization, is a necessary precondition for sustaining large-scale cyberspace operations and providing policymakers with credible, scalable options to defend the nation in and through cyberspace.
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