The digital battlefield is expanding and changing faster than ever before. Washington must confront mounting threats to critical networks and systems. But there’s one challenge that stands out above the rest: artificial intelligence. The nation’s cyber experts need to be ready to face this new reality.

The CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service program is a federal initiative that has done just that for 25 years, contributing nearly 5,000 cybersecurity professionals to the federal workforce. The program is a success story, but the Trump administration has put this program at risk by attempting to drastically cut its funding. Fortunately, Congress has intervened, and will continue to fund the program. The administration should follow Congress’ lead and support it in the future.

The CyberCorps program was developed as an equivalent to the Reserve Officers’ Training Corp (ROTC) for civilian cybersecurity professionals, awarding student participants full scholarships and stipends for their cybersecurity education in exchange for an obligation to serve the federal government after graduation. Participants also receive specialized instruction and summer internships in addition to their coursework, providing the federal government talented, security-vetted, and well-educated employees to defend the United States from cyberthreats. 

AI is changing cybersecurity, creating both new opportunities and new dangers. CyberCorps is adapting to stay ahead. The situation is driven by three clear trends: AI is expanding rapidly across all sectors, threat actors are using it for more advanced attacks, and the newest AI models can find software vulnerabilities quicker than ever before.

In a report released last month, Google researchers said they discovered a previously unknown security vulnerability developed by AI capable of initiating a large-scale cyberattack. Experts estimate that there is now a three-to-five month window in which adversaries will start to outpace organizations using AI-driven attack methods for discovering cyber vulnerabilities. Jen Easterly, the former Director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency wrote last year that cybersecurity as we know it is becoming a relic of the past — and that AI is the path forward.

Cyber threats are advancing faster than ever, and our workforce must keep pace. CyberCorps is stepping up to meet the moment. This year, program participants must have an educational background in AI or plan to develop one. The new guidelines require expertise in two critical areas: using AI in cybersecurity operations and securing AI systems themselves. We need experts who can use AI to defend us and people who can protect AI tools from being weaponized. Program graduates will have both skillsets, equipped to handle today’s threats and adapt as they evolve.

To facilitate this effort, the CyberCorps program is supporting existing participant schools by providing AI training. CyberCorps is also allowing schools to dedicate a portion of the money they receive through program membership to creating their own AI training or providing training from other institutions for students and instructors. 

These changes accomplish two important things. They prepare participants as capable cyber professionals while addressing a workforce crisis the government can no longer ignore. The Pentagon alone estimates it needs 25,000 more cyber experts. By aligning the CyberCorps program with the Trump administration’s AI workforce priorities, the government is finally putting resources behind a solution that matters.

President Trump and the National Science Foundation deserve credit for such agile footwork in adapting to this challenge. But that clear recognition makes the current budget situation even more galling. The greater emphasis on AI in the CyberCorps program could support government expertise in AI for years to come, but only if the program is properly resourced.

The Trump administration’s 2026 budget request included a 65 percent cut in funding for CyberCorps at only $21.7 million, which Congress rectified by appropriating $63 million. Despite this clear congressional signal, the president’s 2027 budget again requested $21.7 million, a drastic cut. 

Again, Congress is stepping in to fix things. The congressional funding report for fiscal year 2027 recommends adding between $60 million and $70 million of funding to the program. The report also encourages the inclusion of “AI in activities funded by the program to maximize the learning potential in both fields” and advises an increase in the number of scholarships offered. To fully institute these recommendations, the program will require even more funding. Congress is right on target.

America needs strong cyber defenders ready for the AI era. CyberCorps must lead the federal government forward. With the right support, the program will deliver the cyber success our nation demands.

Rear Admiral (Ret.) Mark Montgomery is the senior director of the Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies where Sophie McDowall is a research associate. 

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The Trump administration is redirecting a cybersecurity scholarship program that requires recipients to work in government service toward artificial intelligence, leaving some current program scholars dismayed and bewildered.

In an email to participating school program coordinators obtained by CyberScoop, the Office of Personnel Management and National Science Foundation said the CyberCorps Scholarship For Service program would now be known as CyberAI SFS.

“The SFS students we enroll today will not be employable when they graduate in 2-3 years without significant AI background,” the email reads. “Any SFS student in this new program must be proficient in using AI in cybersecurity or providing security and resilience for AI systems. Therefore, new students in the legacy CyberCorps program must learn to acquire AI expertise to augment their cybersecurity expertise.”

“Effective immediately, new SFS scholars will not be accepted to the Legacy CyberCorps(C) program without a description on how they will develop competencies at the intersection of cybersecurity and AI,” the email continues. “The description of the competency development could include, but are not limited to, formal program of study, experimental learning, research activities, capstone projects, competitions, certifications, and/or no-credit professional development via external providers.”

One current program scholar graduating soon said they were “disappointed” by the change for several reasons. As of earlier this week, the agencies collectively running the program — OPM, NSF and the Department of Homeland Security — hadn’t notified any program participants that any changes were on the horizon.

For another: “I was a little bit surprised that it was coming out as so blatantly disregarding the people that haven’t graduated yet, that everyone in my cohort is already considered ‘legacy,’ and the fact that it said people in the program that I’m currently in will not be employable in the coming years,” they said.

The email leaves scholars uncertain about what will happen as they try to fulfill their side of the agreement, especially since doing so has  already been difficult amid cyber job cutbacks and other concerns about how the program has recently been administered. The scholar told CyberScoop there are around 300 people in this current group.

“I assume it will affect placements,” they said. “I can’t say for sure one way or another, because placements are already so impacted by everything that’s been going on. I don’t know what’s due to lack of AI background and what’s due to everything else.”

Another scholar said it was wrong for OPM “to keep claiming repeatedly that they’re acting in our best interests,” when “we’re left out to dry.” Already, the current group of scholars has been frustrated by their inability to get questions answered.

“If we’re legacy CyberCorps, then how does that address anything?” the scholar asked. “We’re just kind of being shoved into a closet and forgotten about. Now in that email, they were saying that we were going to be unhireable in two years time without all this AI stuff under our belt. But at the same time, almost all of our universities were actively discouraging the use of AI.”

Another part of the email brought welcome news to those scholars: a temporary easing of the program’s requirements, including the 70-20-10 rule that sets targets for jobs in the federal government, state and local governments, and the education sector, as well as the rules for securing an internship.. Even so, scholars say they still haven’t received any direct information about the changes.

A spokesperson for NSF said there have been some misunderstandings about the email to school program coordinators (known as principal investigators), but didn’t address current scholars’ concerns about communication.

“The guidance does not require scholars to possess these competencies upon entry,” said the spokesperson, Michael Englund. “Rather, it requires principal investigators (PIs) to clearly describe how their programs will prepare scholars to develop AI-related competencies by the time they graduate (typically within two to three years). In other words, programs must have a concrete and immediate plan to ensure scholars gain these skills during the course of their studies, not prior to admission.”

A spokesperson for OPM addressed the two biggest concerns of current participants.

“There are no changes to placement requirements,” the spokesperson said. “As noted, NSF’s updates are forward-looking to ensure future cohorts are prepared for evolving workforce needs. NSF has encouraged institutions to use professional development funds to expand AI-related training where needed. At OPM, we are also expanding AI training and have introduced AI ambassadors to support adoption.”

On communication: “Principal investigators (PIs) remain the primary point of contact for scholars, but OPM plans to increase direct outreach and plans to issue follow-up communication to scholars on placement efforts,” the spokesperson said.

Last week’s email is the latest turn for the program, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency last month declaring that it was canceling summer internships due to the lapse in funding for some DHS agencies. Congress has since provided funding for CISA. 

The agency didn’t answer a question about whether that cancellation decision has been reversed as a result.

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The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency has informed participants of the federal government’s Scholarship for Service program that it has canceled this year’s summer internship programs due to the current funding issues at the Department of Homeland Security. 

Emails from CISA obtained by CyberScoop recently informed applicants that the agency will not bring any CyberCorps: Scholarship for Service interns onboard this summer due to the impacts of the federal funding lapse and the current administrative situation at DHS. For some applicants, agency representatives acknowledged that the cancellations represent a second consecutive year of disrupted placement efforts.

The National Science Foundation (NSF) leads and manages the program, in coordination with the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and DHS. The program covers tuition and provides stipends for students specializing in cybersecurity and artificial intelligence. In exchange, graduates must complete an internship and subsequently work in federal service for a period equal to the duration of their scholarship. 

An OPM official told CyberScoop the agency is “actively in contact with all Federal cabinet agencies on this topic, and are confident that we will place nearly all eligible Scholarship for Service participants within the next couple months.”

An NSF spokesperson declined to comment.  CISA did not respond to CyberScoop’s request for comment. 

The sudden closure of agency pipelines highlights how federal job seekers are currently navigating a paralyzed hiring environment, exacerbated by budget turmoil at DHS and proposed workforce reductions under the Trump administration. The White House’s fiscal 2027 budget would slash CISA’s budget by $707 million, according to a summary released earlier this month, which would deeply chop down an agency that already took a big hit in President Donald Trump’s first year.

Sources told CyberScoop Tuesday that CISA has been reaching out to internship applicants who had participated in a virtual job fair held in February, where they were told that the agency would have 100 internship roles available. However, applicants were warned that the agency would not be able to hire anyone until the agency was funded. 

Program participants expressed regret to CyberScoop last November over taking part in an initiative that binds them to an employer currently unable to hire them. Program administrators have reportedly advised students to get creative in their job searches, a directive that caused frustration among participants who rely on standard federal placement pipelines.

In response to the growing backlog of unplaced graduates, OPM announced plans to collaborate with the National Science Foundation on a mass deferment. OPM Director Scott Kupor stated that the deferment will be implemented after the government shutdown resolves, providing graduates additional time to secure qualifying positions.

The structural breakdown of the CyberCorps pipeline presents long-term challenges for the federal government’s ability to recruit technical talent. The United States currently faces an estimated 500,000 open cybersecurity positions. The scholarship program was historically viewed as a reliable mechanism to bypass private-sector wage competition and secure early-career talent for the federal government.

Lawmakers are currently battling over bills that would end the DHS shutdown. 

Tim Starks contributed to this story. 

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