U.S. Representative Jack Bergman (R-MI), Chairman of the Subcommittee on Intelligence and Special Operations, delivered the following opening statement at the full committee markup for H.R. 8070, the Servicemember Quality of Life Improvement Act and National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2025 (FY25).
Rep. Bergman's remarks as prepared for delivery:
I would like to begin by thanking Ranking Member Gallego for his support and contribution, as well as the members of the subcommittee for their efforts as we developed this bipartisan subcommittee print.
The ISO print continues to focus on providing our Special Operations Forces and the Defense Intelligence Enterprise the tools required to ensure they can support the Department's efforts in strategic competition and in countering malign Chinese actions. This effort must be accomplished in every geographical Combatant Command.
The subcommittee print accomplishes this by supporting the Defense Intelligence Enterprise's continued efforts to extend critical authorities for the use of commercial practices that support security and intelligence activities. The print also requires information on how the Enterprise will use Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning to improve intelligence gathering, tradecraft, and analysis to provide quality intelligence more efficiently to the force.
The subcommittee print improves the Army's ability to counter espionage threats from our adversaries by authorizing special agents of the Army's Counterintelligence Command to execute warrants and make arrests as part of counterintelligence investigations, which matches authorities of the three other federal agencies charged with conducting national security investigations. The print extends the period of performance for State Partnership programs to enhance DoD's ability to execute the programs effectively to counter China in support of the Geographic Combatant Commands.
Finally, the subcommittee print champions research, development, testing, and procurement of critical Special Operations systems, such as specialty watercraft, deep submergence propulsion, and blast monitoring equipment to protect our Special Operators and keep them in the fight.
I also want to take this opportunity to thank our tremendous professional staff of Craig Greene, Max Huntley, Mark Morehouse, Will Johnson, Katy Quinn, Owen McGeary, and my personal office; without this team, the mark would not be possible.
