WASHINGTON: The House emerging threats subcommittee is worried the Pentagon may not have a complete grip on its sprawling high technology portfolio of programs — demanding a plethora of briefings and the development of internal DoD plans for avoiding duplicative programs ensuring that key technologies and efforts are not being ignored.
Of particular note, the subcommittee’s draft 2021 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) language moved to bolster DoD’s Joint Artificial Intelligence Center (JAIC) by elevating its chain of command to the deputy defense secretary to “ensure data access and visibility.” This is something of a turn-around for the JAIC, which got off to a rocky start in 2018 with its take over of the controversial Project Maven to use AI to plow through mountains of data collected by surveillance drones.
“In line with the recommendations from the National Security Commission on AI, we made substantial improvements to the Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, or JAIC, by bringing responsibility for it up to the deputy secretary of defense and establishing a board of directors over it comprised of both civilian and military leaders, as well as experts in academia and the private sector,” Rep. James Langevin, chairman of the HASC emerging threats subcommittee said during today’s markup of the 2021 NDAA.
Likewise, Ranking Member Elise Stefanik said the elevation of the JAIC “demonstrates how important this technology is and how urgently it must be integrated into not only our weapon systems, but our healthcare systems our predictive maintenance efforts, our humanitarian assistance missions and our cybersecurity.”
“Our ability to apply AI and other emerging technologies faster than our adversaries will allow us to maintain our competitive edge over Russia and China,” she added.
In the 25-minute virtual hearing, the subcommittee approved the draft House language across its jurisdiction, from cybersecurity, critical infrastructure (CI) protection, directed energy, artificial intelligence (AI) and chemical/biological warfare readiness.
Here’s a summary of the subcommittee’s summary:
Strengthens the DOD’s Ability to Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction, With a Focus on Chemical and Biological Threat Reduction
Among other things the subcommittee directs the Comptroller General to conduct a review of DoD’s readiness to respond and counter biological and chemical attack, and orders Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to explain how DoD will implement Government Accountability Office (GAO) recommendations on facing North Korean chem/bio weapons. In the light of the COVID-19 pandemic, the subcommittee also urges the Pentagon to step up efforts with industry to improve response to infectious disease outbreaks and forward bio-engineering capabilities. (As Breaking D readers know, DoD Research and Engineering czar Mike Griffin recently stood up a new center for biotech manufacturing.
Increases Oversight of Military Operations in Cyber Space and Enhances Cybersecurity
The draft requires GAO to evaluate DoD’s “approach and shortfalls on addressing internet architecture security” and directs DoD to evaluate its own policies on using the National Guard to “respond to significant cyber incidents.”
Enhances the Protection of Critical Technology
Requires a number of related briefings, including on DoD practices for “identifying duplicative software, hardware, licenses, and potential associated cost savings.”
Strengthens Oversight of Special Operations Forces Activities, Readiness, and Alignment to the National Defense Strategy
Among a number of oversight measures, the subcommittee requires the Comptroller General to review Special Operations Command (SOCOM)’s “structure and organization regarding all forces aligned or assigned to the Command to include the Theatre Special Operations Commands that support Combatant Commanders in the field.
Improves Alignment of Intelligence and Security Capabilities to the National Defense Strategy
The subcommittee mandates that DoD provide a a monthly report “on all known instances in which classified information technologies are discovered to be connected to the open internet” — an order that stem from widespread concern about the security of military networks as DoD embraces the Internet of Things (IoT) and rushed to deploy 5G communications networks to underpin it.
It also directs the Comptroller General to provide the committee with an assessment of DoD’s overarching “resources, capabilities, and plans for AI.”
Strengthens National Security Workforce
Among several initiatives to improve DoD high-tech literacy, the subcommittee “urges” Paul Lopata, DoD’s assistant director for quantum sciences under Griffin, to “consider the Department’s quantum workforce gaps, and what science, technology, engineering, and math related education is required to develop the necessary future quantum workforce in the Quantum Sciences road map.” The Trump administration in 2018 produced a National Strategic Overview for Quantum Information Science that focused heavily on leveling up US quantum science expertise across both government and the private sector.
Provides for a Comprehensive and Robust S&T and R&D Ecosystem to Maintain a Technological Edge
Among a long list of management-related directives, the subcommittee also would establish a “Directed Energy Working Group to coordinate directed energy efforts across the military services, leverage shared research and development, eliminate redundant efforts, and expedite the operationalization of directed energy programs.”
It also requires a DoD report how it is using “common data standards,” including how they can be used for AI technologies; and the “feasibility of releasing a public subset to reduce the barriers to research with, and adoption by, academia and technology companies.” Common data standards are at the heart of the Pentagon’s push to spur agile software development to allow rapid upgrades of weapon systems to incorporate cutting-edge capabilities.
It also authorizes research and development funding for “autonomous counter unmanned aircraft system technologies to increase protection of troops operating in austere locations.” US and allied military leaders, particularly in the Middle East, have been increasingly worried about adversarial use of drone swarms to attack soft targets ever since Iran’s drone strikes on Saudi oil facilities last year.
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