OPENING REMARKS OF CHAIRWOMAN STEFANIK

May 23, 2017
Press Release
SUBCOMMITTEE ON EMERGING THREATS & CAPABILITIES

WASHINGTON - Today, Rep. Elise Stefanik (R-NY), Chairwoman of the House Armed Services Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities, made the following remarks, as prepared for delivery, on the hearing titled “Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Request for U.S. Cyber Command: Cyber Mission Force Support to Department of Defense Operations.”  For hearing testimony and to watch the hearing live click here.

"I want to welcome everyone to today’s hearing of the Emerging Threats and Capabilities Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee. With the President’s budget request released just earlier today, this is our first opportunity to explore this request and the major implications for key defense missions. I think it is fitting that the first area we will dive into is cyber. This is an increasingly important domain of warfare, and an area where we have increased our emphasis on overseeing the Department’s progress in building and maintaining cyber forces to protect, defend, maintain, and when necessary, conduct offensive operations in cyberspace.

As we move towards developing the Fiscal Year 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, I have made cyber and cyber warfare one of my main priorities. In the coming weeks, Chairman Mac Thornberry and I, in addition to my ranking member Jim Langevin and the HASC Ranking Member Adam Smith, plan to introduce stand-alone cyber warfare legislation that strengthens Congressional oversight of sensitive military cyber operations, including mandating prompt notifications to Congress in the event of unauthorized disclosures.  We look forward to continuing to work with U.S. Cyber Command and the Department of Defense as we finalize this draft legislation to ensure such notifications are responsive to our needs, but without adding undue reporting burdens on the Department of Defense.
 
In addition to our focus on strengthening Congressional oversight in the area of cyber warfare, other key focus areas will include provisions to strengthen our own cyber warfare capabilities, and provisions that enhance our international partnerships across the globe.

In order to more thoroughly understand all of these issues, I would like to welcome our witness today - Admiral Michael Rogers, who serves as the Commander of U.S. Cyber Command and the Director of the National Security Agency."