The Army has relaxed requirements for its cybersecurity awareness and information privacy training from an annual recertification to once every five years, according to a memo from the Army’s chief information officer. The change took effect Feb. 27, according to the memo from Leonel Garciga posted on his official LinkedIn account that day. “The Army is making a change that gives Soldiers and civilians more time to focus on their core missions,” said an announcement on the Army Chief Information Officer LinkedIn account. The memorandum was published on the Army Publishing Directorate website, with similar announcements posted on social media platforms Facebook and X. “The update supports broader efforts across the Department of War to reduce mandatory training requirements and restore mission focus,” the LinkedIn post states. Cybersecurity training originated with the Federal Information Security Modernization Act of 2014. The act required federal agencies to implement security programs and provide training to inform users of the risks associated with their activities and their responsibility to comply with preventative measures. The change to five-year training was also publicized in a March 27 post on the Army Chief Information Officer’s account on X. Garciga’s office did not respond to requests for comment by email April 21. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth in a memo Sept. 30 called on each military branch to “relax the mandatory frequency for cybersecurity training.” The memo also called for reduced frequency of Privacy Act training that refreshes the user’s familiarity with how to identify and safeguard personally identifiable information. An Army veteran and cyber specialist, who requested anonymity because he fears reprisal for publicly criticizing the new policy, said the previous training already saved time for vigilant users by giving them the option to test out. “The worst part about the mandate is that it still requires the