Executive Order 13870: America's Cybersecurity Workforce
President: Donald J. Trump
Directed agencies to identify cyber workforce gaps, improve federal hiring and training, and support a broader national cybersecurity workforce through competitions and education partnerships.
Status: In effect. Is Executive Order 13870 still in effect? Yes. Executive Order 13870’s cybersecurity-workforce programs remain in operation. CISA identifies the President’s Cup as established in response to this order and is preparing its eighth competition, with registration opening December 1, 2026. This confirms continuing implementation of the competition direction; it does not establish that every separate workforce deadline was met. See CISA — President’s Cup Cybersecurity Competition (opens in a new tab).
What does Executive Order 13870 do?
EO 13870 instructed agencies to improve recruitment, training, apprenticeships and mobility for cybersecurity personnel and to coordinate workforce data and standards.
Later evidence reviewed September 24, 2026: The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council proposed incorporating the NICE cybersecurity workforce framework into federal IT and cybersecurity service contracts, citing EO 13870. A proposal is not a final rule. NIST account of proposed FAR rule.
Before and after
Before the order
Federal cybersecurity recruitment and training used existing agency programs.
After the order
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council proposed incorporating the NICE cybersecurity workforce framework into federal IT and cybersecurity service contracts, citing EO 13870. A proposal is not a final rule.
Who had to do what
| Agency / official | What the signed order directed | Deadline / timing |
|---|---|---|
| Secretary of Homeland Security | Establish a federal cybersecurity rotational-assignment program with OMB and OPM and submit its resource/implementation plan to the President; plan and conduct the President’s Cup competition with Defense, OSTP, OMB, and other appropriate officials. With Commerce, execute the earlier workforce report’s recommendations and develop a multistakeholder national call to action, training efforts, and measurements. Encourage voluntary use of the NICE Framework. Coordinate assessment and skills-gap work described below. | Rotational and competition plans within 90 days; first competition by December 31, 2019, then annually. |
| Secretary of Commerce | With DHS, implement workforce-report recommendations and the multistakeholder national call to action. Consult on contracting skills, aptitude assessments, and NICE Framework adoption; encourage its voluntary integration and report effective uses and improvements to the President. | NICE Framework updates annually; GSA report within one year; aptitude list within 180 days. |
| GSA Administrator | In consultation with OMB and Commerce, incorporate NICE Framework skills into appropriate IT and cybersecurity contract requirements and reporting; report effectiveness and recommendations to the President. | Report within one year. |
| OPM Director | With Commerce, DHS, and appropriate agencies, identify cybersecurity aptitude assessments for non-cybersecurity employees; consult on rotational assignments and the skills/training-gap report. | Assessment list within 180 days; rotational plan within 90 days; gap report within 180 days. |
| OMB Director | Consult on the rotational program, competition, and cybersecurity contracting. Annually identify agencies and subdivisions with cybersecurity functions supporting intelligence, counterintelligence, investigations, or national security and report through the Deputy Assistant for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism. | First annual identification/report September 1, 2019; rotational and competition plans within 90 days. |
| Secretary of Defense | Consult on the President’s Cup plan; with Transportation, Energy, and DHS, coordinate with OPM and Labor on a cybersecurity skills and training-gap report with curriculum recommendations. | Competition plan within 90 days; gap report within 180 days. |
| Secretary of Transportation | Join Defense, Energy, and DHS in the cybersecurity skills and training-gap report, coordinating with OPM and Labor. | Within 180 days. |
| Secretary of Energy | Join Defense, Transportation, and DHS in the cybersecurity skills and training-gap report, coordinating with OPM and Labor. | Within 180 days. |
| Secretary of Labor | Coordinate on the skills and training-gap report and encourage voluntary NICE Framework integration. | Gap report within 180 days. |
| Secretary of Education | Develop and implement an annual Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award for one elementary and one secondary teacher, consulting the Deputy Assistant for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism and NSF; encourage voluntary NICE Framework integration and participate in workforce implementation. | Award developed and implemented within one year; awards annually thereafter. |
| OSTP Director | Consult on the President’s Cup competition plan. | Plan within 90 days. |
| NSF Director | Consult on development and implementation of the Presidential Cybersecurity Education Award. | Within one year; award annually thereafter. |
| Deputy Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism | Consult on the cybersecurity education award. | Within one year. |
| Assistant to the President for National Security Affairs | May recommend appropriate agency awards and decorations for cyber unified coordination groups or similar interagency groups responding to significant cybersecurity or cyber-operations events. | No fixed deadline stated. |
| All federal agencies | Incorporate identified aptitude assessments as appropriate and use existing awards or establish awards to recognize cybersecurity personnel. Agencies with relevant duties should encourage voluntary NICE Framework integration. | Assessment list within 180 days; no fixed deadline for agency incorporation or recognition. |
Source: Signed Federal Register text.
What happened next
EO 13870 signed; its Federal Register publication followed.
The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council proposed incorporating the NICE cybersecurity workforce framework into federal IT and cybersecurity service contracts, citing EO 13870. A proposal is not a final rule.
Legal and source detail
How it works legally
The Federal Register record identifies EO 13870, its title and signing date. The Federal Acquisition Regulatory Council proposed incorporating the NICE cybersecurity workforce framework into federal IT and cybersecurity service contracts, citing EO 13870. A proposal is not a final rule. The linked source supports this particular later event; it does not establish every present legal or operational effect.
Sources by type
If a source is unavailable, first check the cited publisher or another official repository. The cited publisher remains the authority.
Primary and official sources
Orders, laws, court records and official implementation material.
How we checked this
Last checked against the sources above on September 24, 2026. How we research →