Rep. Obernolte’s legislation to boost cybersecurity and support remote bases pass House in NDAA
Two pieces of legislation authored by U.S. Congressman Jay Obernolte (R-Hesperia) passed the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday night as part of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023. Rep. Obernolte’s legislations improve the Department of Defense’s ability to defend their computer systems from cyberattacks and provide needed support for rural military installations struggling to hire and retain civilian workers, including all six installations in California’s 8th District.
“It is critical that we take steps to address the issues that we’re facing here at our bases in the High Desert and Eastern Sierra and to ensure our overall military readiness amidst a shifting defense landscape,” said Rep. Obernolte.
“My amendment that was adopted into the House-passed NDAA addresses the critical civilian staffing shortage at our local remote bases and directs the Department of Defense to find solutions to this critical issue. This will help ensure high standards in quality of life are maintained at our bases to support our servicemembers and their families while they call our community home. Additionally, I’m proud to have my AI for National Security Act included in the base text of the bill to help ensure our military has the best possible artificial intelligence capabilities to defend against those who seek to do our country harm.”
Rep. Obernolte’s amendment number 272 was adopted into the NDAA on the House floor on Wednesday evening and addresses critical staffing shortages at remote military installations, including Fort Irwin National Training Center, Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow, Marine Corps Mountain Warfare Training Center, Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and Edwards Air Force Base. The legislation requires the Government Accountability Office to assess vacancies at remote and isolated installations and to make recommendations to the Department of Defense on ways it can incentivize workers to fill those roles in a timely manner. These jobs range from food preparers to contractors to teachers and are critical to supporting servicemembers and their families at military installations.
Rep. Obernolte’s Artificial Intelligence for National Security Act, originally introduced as H.R. 7811, ensures the Department of Defense is able to leverage AI cybersecurity applications to stop and prevent attacks against U.S. digital defense systems and infrastructure. In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and last year’s successful foreign-led cyberattacks against critical American infrastructure, the legislation provides timely clarity to bolster protections against future attacks.