The House Armed Service Committee kicked off the National Defense Authorization Act markup process on April 21, with the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities the first to issue its proposed changes to the budget.
The markup contained no changes in funding to military procurement programs and would fully fund U.S. Special Operations Command and U.S. Cyber Command, which the subcommittee oversees. Instead, it called for a number of studies and hearings meant to better articulate the Defense Department’s strategy for dealing with emerging threats such as cyber security, unconventional warfare and the Islamic State. 
The subcommittee is concerned that the Pentagon has not fully assessed whether its existing platforms are susceptible to cyber attacks, and thus has not requested money to fix them, the legislation said. The proposal directs the undersecretary of defense for acquisition, technology and logistics and service chiefs to brief the House Armed Services Committee by Feb. 1, 2016, on the Pentagon’s process for identifying cyber vulnerabilities in its legacy systems as well as what funding is necessary to remedy them.
It inserted language requiring the Pentagon to submit a replacement strategy for the MH-6 Little Bird light helicopters. The MH-6, developed by Boeing [BA], has been has been flown by Army special operators since the 1960s. The proposal mandates that Defense Secretary Ashton Carter submit a report to Congress that lays out modernization plans for the aircraft, including anticipated upgrades and service life extensions. The strategy must also contain current and future requirements for a light attack/reconnaissance helicopter to replace the Little Bird, as well as the feasibility of a common military or commercial platform for filling that role.
The subcommittee’s proposed changes also would require Carter and the Joint Chiefs of Staff to devise a plan for incorporating advanced weapons–including directed-energy, autonomous and hypersonic systems–into wargames.
It also calls for the president, defense secretary and joint chiefs to develop a Defense Department strategy to counter unconventional warfare threats, which the legislation defined as an insurgency that is trying to disrupt or overthrow a government. The strategy should include a summary of the current threat environment, an explanation of how the department currently counters unconventional threats and department-wide goals to improve those capabilities.
The subcommittee will meet the afternoon of April 22 to mark up the proposal.