WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), co-chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC), today announced students at Southern Maine Community College, the University of Maine at Augusta and the University of Southern Maine are eligible to apply to the Department of Defense (DoD) Cyber Service Academy (CSA). The CSA provides scholarships for students pursuing degrees in cybersecurity and related fields in exchange for service with the DoD or Intelligence Community cybersecurity roles upon graduation.

More specifically, scholarship recipients will receive full tuition; stipends for books, a computer and housing; Department of Defense (DoD) internship opportunities, and guaranteed post-graduation employment. To be eligible, students must be enrolled at a university or college designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C). Southern Maine Community College, the University of Maine at Augusta and the University of Southern Maine all meet this qualification.

“With cyber threats growing more sophisticated every day, we must strengthen our defenses and build out America’s cybersecurity workforce,” said Senator King. “The Cyber Service Academy offers Maine students an incredible opportunity to advance their education while simultaneously preparing them for careers where they would help protect our nation and infrastructure against cyberattacks and breaches. I am confident that Maine students have the talent and determination to be leaders in this space — keeping both our state and nation safe.”

The Cyber Service Academy (CSA) is both a scholarship program for the Department of Defense (DoD) and a capacity-building tool for the nation. The program is a result of commitment from the DoD and Congress to support higher education as a means to prepare the DoD workforce to deal with threats against the Department’s critical information system and networks.

To be eligible applicants must:

• Be 18 years of age or older;
• Be a citizen of the United States;
• Be enrolled in or applying to universities designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity and pursuing a course of study in one of the scientific, technical or managerial disciplines related to cyber;
• Have completed either the first year of an associate’s degree program, the first two years of an undergraduate degree program, or a bachelor’s or master’s degree program;
• Pass a federal background check.

Full eligibility requirements and application details can be found HERE.

As Co-Chair of the Cyberspace Solarium Commission (CSC) and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) and Senate Select Intelligence Committee (SSCI), Senator King is recognized as one of Congress’ leading experts on cyberdefense and as a strong advocate for a forward-thinking cyberstrategy that emphasizes layered cyberdeterrence. Since it officially launched in April 2019, dozens of CSC recommendations have been enacted into law, including the creation of a National Cyber Director.

Together with Solarium Co-Chair former Representative Mike Gallagher, King previously urged the Biden Administration to better protect the public health sector from cyber threats and called for stronger, collaborative efforts to address the growing threat. Earlier this year, Senator King introduced the bipartisan Strengthening Cybersecurity in Health Care Act to require the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) perform consistent evaluations of its cybersecurity systems, and provide biannual reports on its current practices and progress on future safety procedures it is working to implement. He also cosponsored bipartisan legislation to expand the cybersecurity workforce by training veterans for in-demand jobs. Most recently, he joined his colleagues in introducing the bipartisan Streamlining Federal Cybersecurity Regulations Act to help address challenges associated with the current patchwork of inconsistent cybersecurity policies between agencies.

###