In a cyberattack disaster, DoD needs backup squad to fix networks, restart critical systems Mark Pomerleau (Capt. Benjamin Hughes/Maryland National Guard) WASHINGTON — With a growing number of cyber breaches, lawmakers and outside experts are pushing to increase the role of the National Guard and National Reserve if a catastrophic cyberattack were to occur. The idea is to create a special cyber reserve force for crises, and to do a better job of using the cyber expertise of Guard members. These recommendations come from the bipartisan Cyberspace Solarium Commission, created by Congress in 2019 to develop a multipronged U.S. cyber strategy to prevent a so-called cyber 9/11. Now, the Defense Department must evaluate the cyber reserve idea and clarify how the state-focused Guard could help with significant federal cyber events, as ordered by the 2021 defense policy law.