The House Armed Services Committee has introduced a bipartisan bill that would mandate Defense Department officials to inform Congress about the U.S. military’s sensitive cyber operations or weapons within 48 hours of implementation, Nextgov reported Thursday.
The scope of the proposed bill covers all defensive and offensive cyber operations that would occur beyond the Pentagon’s networks and affect international combat activities the U.S. supports.
HASC Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) and Ranking Member Adam Smith (D-Washington) sponsored the bill along with Reps. Elise Stefanik (R-New York) and Jim Langevin (D-Rhode Island), respectively chairwoman and ranking member of HASC’s emerging threats and capabilities subcommittee.
“While there are programs that must necessarily remain classified to keep the country safe, Congress still has a responsibility to conduct appropriate oversight in order to protect our security and our essential freedoms at the same time,” said Thornberry.
Nextgov reported the bill would also mandate DoD to inform the House and Senate Armed Services Committees of cyber weapon reviews to fully assess a system’s compliance with international laws.
