Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, the ranking member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, said the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2023 covers 16 priorities he authored, such as measures to strengthen cybersecurity capabilities and disaster preparedness and response efforts.
Among the objectives added to the FY23 NDAA are technical improvements to the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency’s authorizing statute and sharing of cybersecurity and counterintelligence data between the executive branch and Congress, the Senate panel said Wednesday.
The defense authorization bill also comprises a measure to establish an interagency committee for risk assessment and preparation to prepare for high-consequence events and a provision to provide short-term mental health and trauma support resources for first responders and disaster survivors.
Additionally, Portman proposed to expand the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s preparedness programming capability to address technological hazards.
“At a time when our country faces significant security threats from around the world, these provisions will help to ensure our local, state, and federal government has every resource needed to detect and deter risks, whether they be from cyberattacks, terrorism and violent extremism, or weapons of mass destruction,” Portman remarked.
