U.S. Representative Don Bacon, Chairman of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation, delivered opening remarks on Mar. 26 at a hearing focused on the Department of Defense's progress in cybersecurity and efforts to strengthen its digital infrastructure.
The hearing addressed the importance of information technology for military operations and how secure networks underpin critical functions such as command, control, business applications, and operational planning. The discussion comes as digital threats continue to grow in complexity.
Bacon said during his prepared statement, "To edit a quote from Don Rumsfeld—you fight with the network you’ve got." He continued: "We conduct command and control with the networks we have. We pay our warfighters with the business applications we have. We plan and conduct operations on the desktops and laptops that we have. We fight at the speed of data, and the underlying IT has never been more important." Bacon also stated he wants to learn about "the state of these critical IT networks" including plans for modernization, access to secure cloud environments across all security levels, and ensuring cybersecurity for both Department assets and those in its industrial base.
He noted that while major artificial intelligence developments will be discussed at an upcoming Research and Engineering posture hearing, none of those advancements can function without reliable foundational IT systems: "If the networks don’t work, nothing else will." Bacon welcomed Ms. Kirsten Davies—Department of Defense Chief Information Officer since December—highlighting her two decades leading large-scale cybersecurity initiatives in global companies.
The House Armed Services Committee includes members such as Representatives Joe Wilson, Michael R. Turner, and Robert J. Wittman according to its official website. The committee oversees programs related to national defense—including matters under U.S. Code—and operates under jurisdiction defined by Rule X of House Rules according to its official website. Mike Rogers served as chair for both the 118th-119th Congress according to its official website.
The committee influences legislation through processes like community project funding within National Defense Authorization Act cycles according to its official website, serving a key oversight role for national defense policy according to its official website.
