By Caleb Skeath
This Wednesday, the House Armed Services Committee’s Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities will hold a hearing on military cybersecurity issues, entitled “Cyber Operations: Improving the Military Cyber Security Posture in an Uncertain Threat Environment.” The following witnesses are scheduled to testify at the hearing:
- Navy Adm. Michael Rodgers, Commander, U.S. Cyber Command
- Army Lt. Gen. Edward C. Cardon, Commander, U.S. Army Cyber Command
- Navy Vice Adm. Jan Tighe, Commander, Navy Fleet Cyber Command/10th Fleet (FCC/C10F)
- Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Daniel J. O’Donohue, Commanding General, Marine Corps Forces Cyberspace Command
- Air Force Maj. Gen. Burke E. Wilson, Commander, 24th Air Force
The hearing is scheduled for this Wednesday, March 4, 2015 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 2118 of the Rayburn House Office Building.
The hearing comes amidst renewed interest within the federal government in developing the U.S. military’s cyber capabilities. In August 2014, the Defense Department stated that it aimed to grow the U.S. Cyber Command to 6,000 individuals divided into 133 teams by 2016. The teams would have three core missions:
- The Cyber National Mission Force, which would defend U.S. critical infrastructure and key resources;
- The Cyber Combat Mission Force, which would “provide cyber support to combatant commanders across the globe;” and
- The Cyber Protection Force, which would operate and defend the Department of Defense’s information network.
In early February, a Pentagon spokeswoman stated that the Defense Department was “about halfway” through the process of building out the U.S. Cyber Command’s capabilities. In his 2016 budget proposal, President Obama requested $14 billion to fund U.S. cybersecurity initiatives, including information-sharing programs and cybersecurity research and development. The administration also highlighted the growing “danger of a disruptive and even destructive cyber-attack” in its 2015 National Security Strategy, released last month.