Rounds to Serve as Top Republican on Cybersecurity Subcommittee

WASHINGTON – U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) today announced his leadership role on the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC) Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, where he will serve as Ranking Member during the 118th Congress.

“The SASC Subcommittee on Cybersecurity plays a critical role in the defense of our nation,” said Rounds. “As our near-peer competitors, like China, continue to improve their cyber capabilities, it is important we make sure our men and women in uniform are equipped with better tools and more resources than our adversaries. The cyber domain is involved in every aspect of our nation’s defense – air, land, sea and space – and continues to rapidly evolve. We have seen incredible technological advances over the past several years. New technologies are a good thing, but they also pose new challenges. We must continue to increase and improve our nation’s defensive and offensive cyber capabilities, as cyber-attacks are an existing and dangerous threat to our national security. The threat is not going away, and we must continue to understand and utilize Artificial Intelligence for national security and defense purposes. Additionally, we must hire highly-skilled cybersecurity professionals to help improve the cybersecurity efforts of our armed forces. Dakota State University has been at the forefront of cyber-related research for years, which adequately prepares the cybersecurity workforce for the challenges and opportunities to come. I look forward to continuing my role on the subcommittee as we continue developing our cyber forces, operations and capabilities.”

In addition to his leadership role on the Subcommittee on Cybersecurity, Rounds will also serve on the Subcommittee on Personnel and the Subcommittee on Strategic Forces.

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