U.S. Representative Jim Banks (R-IN), Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems, delivered the following opening statement at the subcommittee markup for H.R. 7900 National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. The Subcommittee's mark is available here.
Rep. Banks' remarks as prepared for delivery:
Thank you Chairman Langevin. First, I want to congratulate you on your final mark as Chairman of this subcommittee. Your eleven years work has changed the emerging technology and cyber landscape and our national security for the better. Thank you for your dedication and service; you will be missed next year.
Nearly every day, there is a new story about China's investments in emerging technologies as they work to be the world's lone superpower. To maintain our superiority in the great power competition, we need to quickly innovate, deploy capabilities, and strengthen our defenses in the cyber and emerging technologies.
I believe the mark we are voting on today makes important progress towards these goals. It has many great provisions that advance innovation, promote technological superiority, accelerate capabilities, improve accountability, and streamline systems.
This mark also addresses two areas that I believe are critical for our national security – batteries and biotechnology.
Batteries are necessary to operate in challenging conditions, yet the Department lacks a department-wide understanding of what batteries it has and needs. My language directs the Department to develop a mechanism for tracking and requires the Department to study how to standardize batteries to allow for interoperability between systems.
Biotechnology shows significant promise for being able to address some of the material challenges in the Department. To take advantage of the incredible opportunities that biotechnology offers, we need a better understanding of the existing biotechnology industrial base. My proposal directs the Department to survey the biotechnology industrial base to ensure that we harness existing opportunities and advance the work being done in this domain.
Our national security cannot be assumed, we must make strategic investments in cyber and emerging technologies now to maintain our advantage over adversaries. We do that with the mark before us today and I am proud to support it.
