The House Armed Services Committee (HASC) Subcommittee for Emerging Threats and Capabilities (ETC) held a markup of its proposals for the Fiscal Year 2017 National Defense Authorization (NDAA) on Thursday.
“[O]ur oversight often involves reviewing sensitive Department of Defense (DoD) authorities, programs and activities,” Committee Chairman Joe Wilson (R-SC) said. “We also participate in congressional delegations to see our servicemen and women at war, and in the field.
“The members of this subcommittee take this oversight role very seriously, as we remain current on activities and programs involving – most notably – forces from across the Defense intelligence enterprise, Special Operations Command and our cyber mission teams.”
DoD cyber operations and programs would be fully supported and strengthened under the proposal, which prioritizes the readiness of the Cyber Force mission, cyber tools and capabilities. It also would ensure resilience for DoD networks, weapons systems and capabilities, while mitigating against insider threats and providing special procurement authority to facilitate recovery from a cyber attack.
The legislation also supports funding and advanced oversight for the development of a new security clearance IT architecture meant to replace OPM’s networks, which saw the records of millions of federal civil servants and their families compromised.
“This year our mark provides for robust and resilient cyber operations capabilities, supports innovative science and technological advances to meet future challenges, and fully supports our Special Operations Forces who remain at war and globally postured supporting national security objectives,” Wilson said. “We extend vital counterterrorism authorities while improving Congressional oversight in this important area.”
The ETC proposal would strengthen efforts against terrorist and violent extremists by supporting Special Operations Forces and other DoD programs in full.
“The mark also instates quality controls and…increases oversight of certain agents and pathogens, which I think is something that is long overdue,” Ranking Member Jim Langevin (D-RI) said.
It also extends 1208 counterterrorism authority used by Special Operations Forces, directs a strategy for Regional Counter-Narrative Capabilities against ISIS and other threats to mitigate propaganda and recruitment efforts, and extends vital authorities, including Non-Conventional Assisted Recovery (NAR), which is used to rescue isolated service members and U.S. citizens.
Additionally, the proposal strengthens congressional oversight of ongoing counterterrorism operations and activities.
“The funding will enable these missions to expand their effectiveness,” Langevin said.