Jim Langevin

I claim time in opposition to the amendment. The Acting CHAIR. The gentleman from Rhode Island is recognized for 5 minutes.

As co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth, I rise today in recognition of May as National Foster Care Month. Growing up, my parents welcomed many foster children into our family, providing them with a stable and nurturing…

I believe, has a critical role to play here.

Government nor private sector can do this independently on its own.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. I want to thank you for holding this hearing.

I think that would be helpful, and I am hoping that we are going to see us move in that kind of a direction and have that common understanding.

We have certainly raised awareness. We have come a long way in getting everybody... to understand how challenging and difficult cybersecurity is.

I highly commend and am very supportive of your vision for the third offset strategy and look forward to seeing how that unfolds.

I have been one of the biggest proponents of cybersecurity as a critical warfighting domain during my time in Congress.

Can you provide an update on DOD's process for completing the instruction manual for DOD Directive 8140 and when this process might be completed?

My colleague, Jim Cooper, likes to refer to the cloud as the acronym for Chinese Love Our Uploaded Data.

I hope along with all of this we are paying maximum attention to the security of the cloud.

I will be the first to let you know.

I find it appropriate the Department of Defense is involved in building a new IT system for OPM's new National Background Investigation Bureau.

I mean, that is exactly where I hope that we are going to be and that is what we want to get to.

As a long-term advocate for cybersecurity within this subcommittee, I am glad we have taken the time to not only discuss the build and operations, but also the infrastructure our cyber warriors operate within every day over the last few…

I want to thank you as well as the hardworking men and women who work under your supervision at the Department of Homeland Security and the work that they do to protect our Nation.

I have been one of the biggest proponents of cybersecurity as a critical warfighting domain during my time in Congress.

As we work to manage cybersecurity at an enterprise level and evaluate the state of much-needed programs, such as OCX, it is critical that the services understand the cybersecurity requirements laid before them.

I believe we must ensure that you and your counterparts here today have the flexibility and the agility needed to acquire and utilize off-the-shelf capabilities that can quickly transition to the warfighter.

I couldn't agree more, Mr. Secretary, and I share that concern. And the faster we can get these boats into the water, obviously the better.

The SOFWERX initiative has the potential to capture and spur some exciting technology.

As one of directed energy's strongest advocates up here in the Congress, I just want to recognize that technology has tremendous potential to change the game in our favor.

Thank you Mr. Chairman. And I want to thank our witnesses for testifying today on the President's fiscal year 2017 budget request for Special Operations Command [SOCOM] and special operations forces.

I have long been an advocate of Directed Energy weapons systems, and I am glad that technologies are beginning to transition out of the lab into operational units, such as the 30-kilowatt laser on the USS Ponce.