Rep. Jim Banks leads GOP in the passage of CITI Priorities for 2023 NDAA

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee passed several of the Subcommittee on Cyber, Innovative Technologies, and Information Systems Ranking Member Jim Banks’ priorities in the 2023 NDAA. 

Jim Banks

Ranking Member Banks said, “I’m pleased that the NDAA headed to the House floor includes numerous initiatives to strengthen our cyber and emerging technology capabilities and respond to the China threat. Ensuring our military’s technological superiority has been a priority of mine since I got to Congress, and this year’s NDAA is a step in the right direction.  I’d like to thank Ranking Member Rodgers and my colleagues from both parties for contributing towards the NDAA’s successful passage.”

Ranking Member Banks’ CITI Priorities passed out of HASC in the Fiscal Year 2023 NDAA 

  • DARPA Graduate Student Funding Amendment directing the Director of DARPA to study and report to the House Committee on Armed Services on options for stabilizing graduate student funding against termination of DARPA projects no later than February 1, 2023. 
    • DARPA projects are generally not well aligned with academic timelines with respect to graduate student funding and the high-risk nature of DARPA work often requires failing programs to be terminated abruptly, which puts graduate student education at risk.
  • DARPA Fellowship Program Amendment requiring the Director of DARPA to develop a plan for the establishment of a ‘‘Innovation Fellowship Program’’ to expand opportunities for early-career scientists to participate in DARPA’s programs, projects, and other activities. 
    • It IS difficult for early-career scientists to get started on DARPA grants and programs and this amendment would expand the talent pipeline and recruit new talent to DARPA grants and programs. 
  • Battery Language directs the Department to develop a mechanism for tracking its battery usage and requires the Department to study how to standardize batteries to allow for interoperability between systems.
    • Batteries are necessary to operate in challenging conditions, yet the Department lacks a department-wide understanding of what batteries it has and needs. 
  • Biotechnology Language directs the Department of Defense to survey the biotechnology industrial base to ensure that we harness existing opportunities and advance the work being done in this domain.
    • Biotechnology shows significant promise for addressing some of the material challenges in the Department. To take advantage of the incredible opportunities that biotechnology offers, we need a better understanding of the existing biotechnology industrial base.