The House Armed Services Committee has released its version of the fiscal year (FY) 2025 defense policy bill on Monday which includes numerous provisions that aim to advance cyber capabilities, bolster innovative research and development, and speed investments into critical technology across the Pentagon.
The FY2025 Service Member Quality of Life Improvement and National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) would authorize $849.8 billion for the Department of Defense (DoD), consistent with the spending cap laid out in last year’s debt ceiling agreement.
The bill would authorize critical investments in military technology, strengthen cyber capabilities, and bolster various research and development efforts underway at the DoD.
The House Armed Services Committee will mark up the defense policy bill next week. The Senate Armed Services Committee has not released its version of the NDAA but has scheduled markup hearings to begin on June 12.
Bill Okays DoD ‘Space Reserve’ Plan
The House Armed Services Strategic Forces Subcommittee in its portion of the NDAA would open the door for the DoD to create a commercial “space reserve” to bolster military satellite capabilities during wartime.
The provision drafted by the subcommittee would give the Secretary of Defense the authority to establish the “Commercial Augmentation Space Reserve” (CASR) program.
The program – first initiated by the Space Force in its new Commercial Space Integration Strategy issued in April – would create a “hybrid space architecture” linking national security, commercial, civil, and allied satellites into a massive mesh network.
“Under the program, the Secretary may include in a contract for the procurement of space products or services one or more provisions under which a qualified contractor agrees to provide additional space products or services to the Department of Defense on an as-needed basis under circumstances determined by the Secretary,” the bill reads.
The Space Force strategy wanted commercial capabilities that would meet military requirements and capability needs across the spectrum of conflict. The defense bill would limit participation to U.S. firms and U.S. citizens. It also emphasizes that any new contracts under CASR must be compatible with Pentagon security requirements, including those surrounding access to classification.
Army to Create Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence
The House Armed Services Subcommittee on Tactical Air and Land Forces wants the Army to create an Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence, according to a provision in the FY 2025 defense policy bill.
Centers of excellence are the primary tool the Army utilizes for training soldiers in their respective fields whether it be artillery, aviation, or even electronic warfare. The creation of the Electronic Warfare Center would move training for soldiers in this field from the Army’s Cyber Center of Excellence.
According to the proposed legislation, the Army would have a year after the bill is enacted into law to transfer electronic warfare-related programs, projects, and activities of the Cyber Center of Excellence to the Electronic Warfare Center of Excellence.
Strengthen DoD Cyber Capabilities
The Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee included several provisions in the FY2025 NDAA that are aimed at strengthening the DoD’s capabilities in cyberspace. The most standard is a directive to perform detailed evaluation of products and services aimed at improving the cybersecurity of mobile devices within the DoD.
The subcommittee also included text that takes aim at the DoD’s Authorization to Operate (ATO) processes. According to the text of the bill, the DoD would be required “to take actions directed at improving and streamlining the processes regarding the ‘Authority to Operate’ for information technology.”
The DoD has begun to tackle the challenges associated with its ATO process and its hindrances to rapid technology and software innovation.
Additionally, the bill again includes a provision that would solidify the legal basis for the United States Marine Corps Cyber Auxiliary program, as well as enable the other military services to establish their own Cyber Auxiliary programs.
The subcommittee included a similar provision in the FY24 NDAA.
Bolstering R&D at DoD
The Cyber, Information Technologies, and Innovation Subcommittee also drafted several legislative provisions that would bolster innovative research and development efforts across the DoD.
Notably, the subcommittee directs the Pentagon to develop a plan for establishing a secure computing and data storage environment to test artificial intelligence (AI) trained on biological data.
It would require the Under Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering – in coordination with the Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Officer – to submit an “implementation plan on the feasibility of establishing a secure computing and data storage environment to facilitate the testing of [AI] models trained on biological data and the development and testing of products generated by such models.”
This plan would be due no later than a year after the enactment of the FY2025 NDAA, according to text in the bill.
The bill also pushes for the advancement of quantum information sciences technologies within the DoD.
Specifically, it would require the Secretary of Defense to “develop a strategic plan to guide the development and maturation of quantum information sciences technologies within the DoD and across the military services. “
In addition, under this provision the DoD would establish a center of excellence for quantum computing at an existing military service laboratory.
