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PRESIDENT.
I RISE TO SPEAK AS IF IN MORNING
BUSINESS.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER: WITHOUT
OBJECTION.
MR. BROWN: THANK YOU, MADAM
PRESIDENT.
I WILL BE BRIEF.
I RISE TO SPEAK ABOUT THE
ELECTRONIC SYSTEMS CENTER AT
HASKEM AIR FORCE BASE IN
MASSACHUSETTS AND ITS ROLE IN
OUR NATION'S CYBERSECURITY.
I WANT TO CLARIFY A SITUATION WE
FACE AS A NATION.
FIRST, THE SECRETARY OF DEFENSE
HAS SAID LOUD AND CLEAR THAT THE
THREAT OF CYBER ATTACKS ON OUR
COUNTRY AND THE NEED FOR AMERICA
TO DEVELOP STRONG MILITARY CYBER
CAPABILITIES KEEPS HIM UP AT
NIGHT, AND I CAN TELL YOU IT
KEEPS ME UP AND MANY OTHER
PEOPLE UP AS WELL.
THE PRESIDING OFFICER: THE
SENATE WILL BE IN ORDER.
MR. BROWN: THANK YOU, MADAM
PRESIDENT.
AS I SAID, THE SECRETARY OF
DEFENSE HAS SAID LOUD AND CLEAR
THAT THE THREAT OF CYBER ATTACKS
TO OUR COUNTRY KEEPS HIM UP AT
NIGHT.
WELL, IT KEEPS ME UP AT NIGHT
AND MANY OTHER PEOPLE AS WELL
BECAUSE WE HAVE READ ABOUT THE
CYBER ATTACKS BY THE CHINESE, WE
HAVE READ ABOUT IRAN.
THE SECRETARY HAS DESCRIBED IT
AS AN EVOLVING AND URGENT THREAT
IN OUR FUTURE.
OUR NATION'S SECURITY DEPENDS ON
WINNING THE BATTLE IN
CYBERSPACE.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE AIR FORCE IS
IN THE MIDST OF A FORCED
STRUCTURE CHANGE THAT IGNORES
CRUCIAL FACTS THAT I JUST
STATED.
AT A TIME WHEN CYBER THREATS ARE
GROWING MORE AND MORE IMPORTANT
EACH DAY, THE AIR FORCE IS
MAKING QUESTIONABLE DECISIONS
THAT IN MY OPINION CREATES
UNNECESSARY RISK TO OUR NATION'S
CYBER DEFENSES AND OUR ABILITY
TO DEAL WITH THOSE VERY THREATS.
IT MAKES ABSOLUTELY NO SENSE AT
THIS POINT IN TIME.
THAT'S WHY JUST A FEW WEEKS AGO,
THE HOUSE AND SENATE ARMED
SERVICES COMMITTEES TOOK STRONG
ACTION TO PREVENT WHAT THE
ENTIRE MASSACHUSETTS DELEGATION
FELT WAS A PREMATURE PROPOSAL BY
THE AIR FORCE TO REDUES HASKEM'S
LEADERSHIP FROM A THREE-STAR
GENERAL TO A TWO-STAR GENERAL.
THE ELIMINATION OF THE E.S.C.
COMMANDER POSITION AT HASKEM
WILL ELIMINATE OUR CYBER
CAPABILITIES AND FOCUS ACROSS
THE ENTIRE FORCE, AND THAT IS
NOT A GOOD THING AT THIS POINT
IN TIME.
THAT'S THE LAST THING WE NEED IN
THE MIDST OF A CYBER ATTACK.
IN RESPONSE, REPRESENTATIVE
TSONGAS FROM MASSACHUSETTS
INSERTED A PROVISION IN THIS
YEAR'S NATIONAL DEFENSE
AUTHORIZATION ACT THAT WAS
PASSED BY THE FULL HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES THAT REQUIRED
THE SECRETARY OF THE AIR FORCE
TO REMAIN AND TO RETAIN CORE
FUNCTIONS AT HASKEM AS THEY
EXISTED ON NOVEMBER 1, 2011.
HER LANGUAGE WAS AIMED AT
RETAINING HASKEM'S THREE-STAR
LEADERSHIP.
SIMILARLY, I WORKED WITH SENATOR
LIEBERMAN AND OUR SENATE ARMED
SERVICES COMMITTEE TO INCLUDE
LANGUAGE IN THE SENATE ARMED
SERVICES MARKUP REPORTED VERSION
OF THE DEFENSE AUTHORIZATION
BILL THAT DIRECTS THE AIR FORCE
TO KEEP IN PLACE THE CURRENT
LEADERSHIP BRAIN STRUCTURE UNTIL
TWO DEFENSE COMMITTEES -- UNTIL
THE TWO DEFENSE COMMITTEES HAVE
AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW THE
RECOMMENDATIONS OF THE NATIONAL
COMMISSION ON STRUCTURE OF THE
AIR FORCE.
GIVEN SECRETARY PATENT'S
WARNING, I BELIEVE WE MUST PAY
PARTICULAR ATTENTION TO ANY
CHANGES THAT RELATE TO
CYBERSECURITY.
THE MASSACHUSETTS DELEGATION HAS
BEEN UNITED IN DECLARING THAT
BOTH HASKEM'S MISSION AND THE
SENIOR LEADERSHIP SHOULD BE
PRESERVED IN ORDER TO BRING
FORTH THE BEST CYBER
CAPABILITIES OUR COUNTRY HAS TO
OFFER.
BOTH DEFENSE COMMITTEES HAVE
SPOKEN WITH ONE VOICE TO THE AIR
FORCE -- STAND DOWN WITH THIS
CHANGE UNTIL BOTH COMMITTEES
RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT
HOW THE PROPOSED FORCE STRUCTURE
HAD AFFECT CYBERSECURITY.
I ALSO WANT TO EXPLAIN WHY THE
DELEGATION FEELS SO STRONGLY
ABOUT THIS.
MASSACHUSETTS HAS
BEEN A LEADER FOR MANY DECADES.
GROUNDBREAKING INNOVATION IN
CYBERSECURITY HAS TAKEN PLACE IN
MASSACHUSETTS, AS WE SPEAK.
PERHAPS MORE THAN ANY OTHER
STATE IN OUR ENTIRE NATION, THAT
INNOVATION IS HAPPENING AT
UNIVERSITIES LIKE THE
MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF
TECHNOLOGIES, IN OUR DEFENSE
SECTOR.
OUR CAPABILITIES ARE SECOND TO
NONE.
THE ELECTRONICS SYSTEMS CENTER
HAS UNLIMITED POTENTIAL TO TAKE
ON FUTURE MISSIONS AND THREATS
IN THE REALM OF CYBERSECURITY.
THE AIR FORCE AND M.I.T. LABS
HAVE UPGRADING OUR NATION'S
ABILITY TO MEET THE
CYBERSECURITY REQUIREMENTS.
THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE AND
THE AIR FORCE CONTINUES TO
DEPEND ON URGE MATCHED CYBER
EXPERTISE.
TO ENSURE OUR NATION'S CRUCIAL
CYBER DEFENSES, I SAY AGAIN VERY
FIRMLY TODAY THAT THE AIR FORCE
MUST PRESERVE THE SENIOR
THREE-STAR MASSACHUSETTS IN
MASSACHUSETTS.
MADAM PRESIDENT, IT JUST DOES
NOT MAKE SENSE FOR OUR MILITARY
CYBER LEADERSHIP, EXPERTISE, AND
TALENT TO BE BASED IN A LOCATION
WHERE SOME OF THE WORLD'S MOST
LEADERSHIP IS TAKING PLACE.
PLACING THE CYBER TEAM UNDER A
CHAIN OF COMMAND WITH A
THREE-STAR GENERAL IN ANOTHER
STATE WITH A NUMBER OF OTHER AIR
FORCE RESPONSIBILITIES
DIMINISHES OUR NATION'S A TO
DELIVER CRITICAL CYBER TOOLS AND
RESOURCES AND IMPACTS OUR
ABILITY TO RESPOND TO
EVER-GROWING CYBER THREATS.
CONGRESS HAS SPOKEN IN A
BIPARTISAN AND BICAMERAL WAY.
WE HAVE STATED OUR POSITION
CLEARLY.
THE AIR FORCE SHOULD NOT MOVE
FORWARD WITH ANY FORCE STRUCTURE
CHANGES UNTIL CONGRESS HAS HAD
AN OPPORTUNITY TO REVIEW WHAT
OUR APPROPRIATE FORCE STRUCTURE
MIX SHOULD BE, PARTICULARLY AS
IT RELATES TO CYBERSECURITY.
WE ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY MUST
BE READY TO MEET THIS
NEXT-GENERATION THREAT.
THE ONE THAT KEEPS SECRETARY IF
A NETOP AT NIGHT.