Pentagon to release cyber strategy as soon as next week, sources say

September 3, 2026 at 12:00 AM2 min

This digest was compiled by AI from multiple sources — links to the originals are below.

The U.S. Defense Department is expected to release its first overarching cyber strategy since 2023 as soon as next week, according to three people familiar with the plan. The strategy aims to integrate digital operations more tightly into military campaigns and will be accompanied by an action plan. Officials have cited recent operations in Venezuela and Iran as examples of the integration the strategy seeks to expand.

Key Facts

The strategy is expected to be released Tuesday, though two of the three sources said the date could change.
The plan is expected to center on three priorities outlined by Katie Sutton, assistant defense secretary for cyber policy: integrating cyber capabilities across every domain of warfare, gaining an advantage over adversaries, and reorganizing military cyber forces.
A job posting by defense contractor Parsons says the strategy's action plan contains about nine strategic initiatives and 34 lines of effort.
The strategy will translate the White House's March cyber strategy into more specific military priorities and investments.

Strategy Development

The strategy has been under development for months by the office of Katie Sutton, the assistant defense secretary for cyber policy and principal cyber adviser to the secretary. Officials initially said the strategy would be completed during the summer. Sutton told lawmakers in April that the strategy would seek to build "the most capable, lethal and agile cyber force in the world," able to defend military networks, gain strategic advantage, and give the president more options to deter or defeat adversaries.

Operational Integration

The approach would aim to further move cyber operations into routine military planning, meaning tools that can disrupt an enemy's communications or computer systems would be planned alongside airstrikes and other conventional operations. Officials have cited recent Trump-era operations in Venezuela and Iran as examples of this integration. The new strategy is expected to emphasize delivering cyber options to combatant commanders and integrating them with conventional military power. Artificial intelligence is also expected to feature prominently.

Policy Context

The strategy will translate the White House's March cyber strategy into more specific military priorities and investments. That document pledged to deploy the government's entire toolkit of offensive and defensive cyber capabilities, disrupt threats before they reach U.S. networks and impose greater consequences on foreign hackers. The Pentagon's 2023 strategy embraced "defend forward," an approach that calls for confronting malicious cyber threats closer to the source of their operations.