Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for all your hard work and leadership this Congress. It’s been a pleasure to work alongside you on this subcommittee and throughout our time together in Congress, and you will be sorely missed. I know you will greatly miss this work.

To our witnesses, thank you for appearing before the committee today. As the Chairman noted, this is your inaugural visit to this subcommittee, and we look forward to working with both of you in your new roles.

Ms. Manning, while your role as an Assistant Secretary of Defense is now less than a month old, you’ve inherited a number of ongoing challenges. I look forward to hearing more not just about the organization and intra-Department relationships that will evolve with your new role, but about the ongoing efforts contained within the Fiscal Year 2025 budget request that now fall to a greater or lesser extent under your purview. In particular, I hope to hear more about the forthcoming Cyber Posture Review, the implementation of the DoD Cyber Strategy, and the status of the numerous other Congressionally-directed studies and reports that impact the future of the DoD cyber enterprise.

General Haugh, it’s good to see you again, and I’d especially like to thank to the men and women of U.S. Cyber Command that you represent here today. I look forward to exploring the numerous issues under your purview, and in particular I hope to hear more about CYBERCOM 2.0 and the implementation of enhanced budget control.

My district is home to some of the most innovative companies in the world, and many of them are key players in cyberspace and digital innovation. Their expertise is and will continue to be essential in maintaining the United States’ technological edge. Too often, though, the Department of Defense is its own worst enemy when it comes to fully harnessing the power of the private sector. I hope to hear from both of you about what more the Department of Defense and U.S. Cyber Command can do to accelerate iteration and adoption for cyber-related technologies, and how Congress can help.

I know both of you are also focused on addressing our workforce challenges. While progress has been made and momentum is building across the Department, I hope we can explore today what further efforts may be needed.

Thank you again to our witnesses, and I look forward to today’s discussion. I yield back.

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