Green Bay Reporter

On June 13, Rep Mike Gallagher (R-WI), Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee's Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation, led the subcommittee to pass its mark for H.R.2670, the Fiscal Year 2024 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA). 

In his opening statement, Rep. Gallagher applauded the passage of the mark, saying, "I am very excited about the mark that we have before us. I appreciate all of the constructive efforts of the members to improve the mark and in particular, I appreciate the collaborative spirit in which the ranking member has approached this mark."

Notably, the mark includes provisions that: 

Restructure and rescope the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering to meet modern innovation practices and needs at the Department.

Strengthen cybersecurity at DoD both by improving visibility into networks and endpoints across the department and by assessing the industrial base’s cyber resiliency, and where improvements are needed.

Codify the elevation of DIU and supports program growth and oversight over the innovation network at DoD.

Develop metrics to measure successful technology transitions across the Department and Armed Services.

Direct DoD to create an implementation plan for establishing a Defense Venture Advisory Board. 

Watch the entire mark HERE. 

Read Rep. Gallagher's remarks as prepared for delivery below:

Today, marks (pun intended) a moment of crucial consensus for our national defense, as we examine the Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation policies that will drive the Department of Defense in Fiscal Year 2024. 

As chair, I set three fundamental questions to guide this subcommittee throughout the 118th Congress – 

1. Is the Pentagon prepared for an invasion of Taiwan that has already begun in cyberspace?
2. What technologies are most important for winning a future war and what are the barriers to the Department rapidly adopting such technologies?
3. Are the Services and the Pentagon sensibly structured and resourced to recruit, train, maintain, and equip cyber warriors?

For five months, we have heard defense leaders in and out of the Department answer these questions, and more importantly offer ideas to accomplish these critical tasks where we currently fall short.

Today, we offer a subcommittee mark that focuses Defense leadership on actually integrating commercial technology—not just developing it—improves their cybersecurity posture through better visibility into networks and endpoints, develops metrics to measure the Department’s success at transitioning technologies, and hardens academic research security from intellectual property thieves, like the Chinese Communist Party. 

This mark is the starting place. In the weeks and months to come, we will continue to adapt and improve these policies to build a more resilient and capable military. My goal as chairman of this subcommittee is not to simply admire the problem. The future of conflict is here, and we must give our warfighters the authorities and capabilities necessary to win it. This mark begins doing just that.

Issues: Cybersecurity Foreign Policy and National Security National Defense

Original source can be found here.