East Central Alabama News

U.S. Representatives Mike Rogers (R-AL) and Adam Smith (D-WA), Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Armed Services Committee, released a statement following a bipartisan congressional delegation visit to Silicon Valley. Joining them on the visit were U.S. Representatives John Garamendi (D-CA), Matt Gaetz (R-FL), Ro Khanna (D-CA), Carlos Gimenez (R-FL), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Nancy Mace (R-SC), Marc Veasey (D-TX), Jen Kiggans (R-VA), Rich McCormick (R-GA), and Anna Eshoo (D-CA).

“The United States’ ability to ensure a strong national defense depends in large part on our ability to innovate and modernize our military. During our recent visit to Silicon Valley, we heard testimony from companies about the barriers they face in working with the Department of Defense and received their recommendations on how we can better expedite the fielding of innovative technologies.

“Congress has provided DoD with many authorities over the years to expedite the fielding of innovative technology. Yet, problems persist and it’s clear that DoD needs to be able to pivot and adapt even more quickly. Part of meeting that challenge requires a change of DOD culture.

“Many in Congress talk a lot about how DoD needs to be tolerant of failure to encourage innovation, but they are not tolerant of failure. We too must commit to a change in culture in this regard. As we’ve seen in Ukraine and the Middle East, the battlefield is changing. We need to learn from those conflicts and more nimbly adapt to ensure the United States remains the strongest fighting force in the world.

“It was encouraging to see some of the most innovative companies in Silicon Valley show their support for working with the United States military to help deter conflict and keep our country safe. Doing so also provides significant economic benefits and helps the United States keep pace with cutting edge technological advances. We can all agree that we need to make it easier for American entrepreneurs and industry to work with DoD to reap these collective rewards and ensure a strong national defense.”