While serving in the Air Force I was an F-15E Strike Eagle pilot and completed my career in the Pentagon as a congressional liaison working on programs to develop new equipment to defend our country and emerging threats to our national security. Today, our military is faced with a new battlespace. Cyber-attack capabilities are becoming one of the greatest threats to our national security. Hardening our defense capabilities against cyber-attack is just as important as securing our physical equipment against conventional attack.

Toward the end of my career, the Air Force recognized the importance of fighting both physical and cyber threats and began developing projects to fight emerging capabilities. As Congress works through the FY17 National Defense Authorization Act and defense appropriations process it’s vital they continue to fund programs that develop the best available technology to meet the Department of Defense’s rapidly developing need to counter cyber-attacks.