Wilsbach, Trump’s pick for Air Force chief, notes retention and training of cyber experts ‘suffering’
Wilsbach — who recently served as commander of Air Combat Command, which oversees 16th Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) — noted the challenges in his response to advance policy questions ahead of his confirmation hearing Thursday with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
By
Jon Harper
October 9, 2025
Gen. Kenneth Wilsbach, President Donald Trump’s nominee for Air Force chief of staff, told senators that the Air Force isn’t having trouble recruiting cyber experts — the main problem is with retention and training.
Wilsbach — who recently served as commander of Air Combat Command, which oversees 16th Air Force (Air Forces Cyber) — noted the challenges in his responses to advance policy questions ahead of his confirmation hearing Thursday with members of the Senate Armed Services Committee.
The military services have previously struggled with readiness issues regarding their respective cyber mission force team contributions to U.S. Cyber Command.
“The Air Force currently doesn’t have a recruiting shortfall for the above-mentioned career fields thanks to initiatives like direct accession. In fact, the Air Force grew accessions in the enlisted cyber operations career field by 79% since FY 22. However, we do have challenges in the training and retaining areas. Retention of both military (17S, 1B4, 1N4X1A, and 1D7), and civilian (2210) highly skilled cybersecurity personnel is suffering due to private sector competition offering higher pay and more flexible career options. For civilians, this is compounded by bureaucratic hiring processes, limited access to cutting-edge technology and training, and a lack of transparent career advancement. Inflexible assignments (particularly impacting military personnel), developmental gaps in training and placement, and operational burnout further exacerbate the problem,” Wilsbach wrote.
https://defensescoop.com/2025/10/09/wilsbach-air-force-chief-of-staff-trump-nominee-cyber/
