US Cyber Force Achieves Initial Operational Capability

US Cyber Command’s 133 teams of Cyber Mission Force have achieved initial operating capability (IOC) last week.

Initial operating capability means that all Cyber Mission Force units have reached a threshold level of initial operating capacity and can execute their fundamental mission.

The mission force was scheduled to meet IOC by Sept. 30; however, a spokesman from CYBERCOM said at the beginning of October that as of Oct. 3, 99 percent of the CMF achieved initial operating capability, with 132 of the total 133 teams reaching IOC by Sept. 30, the end of fiscal 2016.

The Cyber Mission Force is expected to reach FOC by Sept. 30, 2018. The goal is for the force to grow to nearly 6,200 and for all 133 teams to be fully operational, officials said in a statement today. The full operational capability is tied to a validation that all Cyber Mission Force teams are capable of operating at full mission capacity, the officials added.

The next major milestone is for all teams to be at full operational capability by Sept. 30, 2018, “because our experience is that it takes about two years to get a team from the time we stand it up to fully mission-capable.” said Navy Adm. Michael S. Rogers, Cybercom commander, director of the National Security Agency and chief of the Central Security Service.